*  M.M.  BALLOU  * 


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AZTEC  LAND 


BY 


MATURIN   M.  BALLOU 


The  dust  is  old  upon  my  sandal-shoon, 
And  still  I  am  a  pilgrim. 

N.  P.  Wi 


BOSTON    AND    NEW   YORK 
HOUGHTON,  MIFFLIN  AND  COMPANY 
press,  <JTamf>rib8e 
1890 


Copyright,  1890, 
BT  MATURIN    M.  BALLOU. 

All  rights  reserved. 


The  Riverside  Press,  Cambridge,  Mass.,  U.  S.  A. 
Electrotyped  and  Printed  by  H.  O.  Houghtoo  &  Company 


PREFACE. 


HAVING  resolved  to  visit  Mexico,  the  question 
first  to  be  considered  was  how  to  do  so  in  the  most 
advantageous  manner.  Repairing  to  the  office  of 
Messrs.  Raymond  &  "Whitcomb,  in  Boston,  after 
a  brief  consultation  with  those  experienced  organ- 
izers of  travel,  the  author  handed  the  firm  a  check 
for  the  cost  of  a  round  trip  to  Mexico  and  back. 
On  the  following  day  he  took  his  seat  in  a  Pullman 
parlor  car  in  Boston,  to  occupy  the  same  section 
until  his  return  from  an  excursion  of  ten  thousand 
miles.  A  select  party  of  ladies  and  gentlemen 
came  together  at  the  same  time  in  the  Fitchburg 
railroad  station,  most  of  whom  were  strangers  to 
each  other,  but  who  were  united  by  the  same  pur- 
pose. The  traveler  lives,  eats,  and  sleeps  in  the 
vestibule  train,  while  en  route,  in  which  he  first 
embarks,  until  his  return  to  the  starting-point,  a 
dining-car,  with  reading  and  writing  rooms,  also 
forming  a  part  of  the  train.  All  care  regarding 
the  routes  to  be  followed,  as  to  hotel  accommoda- 
tions while  stopping  in  large  cities,  side  excursions, 


IV  PREFACE. 

and  the  providing  of  domestic  necessities,  are  dis- 
missed from  his  mind.  He  luxuriates  in  the  plea- 
sure of  seeing  a  strange  and  beautiful  land,  with- 
out a  thought  as  to  the  modus  operandi,  or  the 
means  by  which  detail  is  conquered.  In  short,  he 
dons  Fortunatus's  cap,  and  permits  events  to  de- 
velop themselves  to  his  intense  delight.  Such 
was  the  author's  experience  on  the  occasion  con- 
cerning which  these  wayside  views  of  Mexico  were 
written.  It  was  a  holiday  journey,  but  it  is  hoped 
that  a  description  of  it  may  impart  to  the  general 
reader  a  portion  of  the  pleasure  and  useful  infor- 
mation which  the  author  realized  from  an  excur- 
sion into  Aztec  Land,  full  of  novel  and  uninter- 
rupted enjoyment. 

M.  M.  B. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Locality  and  Political  Divisions  of  Aztec  Land.  —  Spanish 
Historians.  —  Boundaries.  —  Climate.  —  Egyptian  Re- 
semblances. —  Products  of  the  Country.  —  Antiquities.  — 
Origin  of  Races.  —  Early  Civilization. — Pictorial  Writ- 
ings. —  Aboriginal  Money.  —  Aztec  Religious  Sacrifices. 

—  A  Voluptuous  Court.  —  Mexican  Independence.  —  Eu- 
ropean   Civilization   introduced  by  Cortez.  —  Civil  Wars. 

—  The    Maximilian  Fiasco.  —  Revival  of   Mexican   Pro- 
gress. —  A  Country  facing  on  Two  Oceans.  —  A  Native 
Writer's  Statement.  —  Divorce  of  Church  and  State     .     .       1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Remarkably  Fertile  Soil.  —  Valuable  Native  Woods.  — 
Mexican  Flora.  —  Coffee  and  Tobacco.  —  Mineral  Pro- 
ducts. —  Silver  Mines.  —  Sugar  Lands.  —  Manufactories. 

—  Cortez' s    Presents   to  Charles   V.  —  Water   Power. — 
Coal  Measures.  —  Railroads.  —  Historic   Locality.  —  So- 
cial    Characteristics.  —  People    divided    into    Castes.  — 
Peonage.  —  Radical  Progress.  —  Education  and  the  Priest- 
hood. —  A    Threshing   Machine.  —  Social    Etiquette.  — 
Political  Organization  of  the  Government.  — Mexico  the 
Synonym     of     Barbarism.  —  Production     and     Business 
Handicapped  by  an  Excessive  Tariff 23 

CHAPTER   III. 

The  Route  to  Mexico.  —  Via  the  Mammoth  Cave.  —  Across 
the  Rio  Grande.  —  A  Large  River.  —  Piedras  Negras. 

—  Characteristic  Scene.  —  A  Barren  Prairie  Land.  —  Cas- 
tafio,  a  Native  Village.  —  Adobe  Cabins.  —  Indian  Irriga- 
tion.—  Sparsely   Populated  Country.  —  Interior  Hacien- 


Vl  CONTENTS. 

das.  —  Immigration.  —  City  of  Saltillo.  —  Battle  of  Buena 
Vista.  —  City  of  Monterey.  —  The  Cacti  and  Yucca-Palm. 

—  Capture  by  General   Taylor.  —  Mexican  Central  Rail- 
road.—  Jack  -  Rabbits. —  A   Dreary  Region.  —  The   Mes- 
quite  Bushes.  —  Lonely  Graves 43 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Zacatecas. —  Sand-Spouts.  —  Fertile  Lands.  —  A  Silver  Min- 
ing Region.  —  Alpine  Scenery.  —  Table-Land  of  Mexico. 

—  An  Aged  Miner.  — Zacatecas  Cathedral.  — Church  and 
People.  —  A  Mountain  Climb.  —  Ownership  of  the  Mines. 

—  Want  of    Drainage.  —  A  Battlefield.  —  Civil  War.  — 
Local  Market.  —  Peculiar  Scenes.  —  Native  Beauties.  — 
City    Tramway    Experience.  —  Town    of    Guadalupe.  — 
Organized  Beggars.  —  A  Noble  and  Successful  Institu- 
tion. —  Market  of  Guadalupe.  —  Attractive  Sefioritas.  — 
Private  Gardens 62 

CHAPTER  V. 

A  Mexican  Watering  Place.  —  Delightful  Climate.  —  Aguas 
Calientes.  —  Young  Seiioritas.  —  Local  City  Scenes.  — 
Convicts.  —  Churches.  —  A  Mummified  Monk.  —  Punish- 
ment is  Swift  and  Sure.  —  Hot  Springs.  —  Bathing  iu 
Public. —  Caged  Songsters.  —  "Antiquities."  —  Deli- 
cious Fruits.  —  Market  Scenes.  —  San  Luis  Potosi.  —  The 
Public  Buildings. — City  of  Leon. — A  Beautiful  Plaza. 

—  Local  Manufactories.  —  Home  Industries  of  Leon.  — 
The  City  of  Silao.  —  Defective  Agriculture.  —  Objection 

to  Machinery.  —  Fierce  Sand  Storm 76 

CHAPTER   VI. 

Guanajuato.  —  An  Ex-President.  —  Richest  Silver  Mine  in 
Mexico.  —  Reducing  the  Ores.  —  Plenty  of  Silver.  —  Open 
Sewers.  —  A  Venal  Priesthood.  —  A  Big  Prison.  —  The 
Catholic  Church.  —  Getting  Rid  of  a  Prisoner.  —  The 
Frog-Rock.  —  Idolaters.  —  A  Strawberry  Festival  at  Ira- 
puato.  —  Salamanca.  —  City  of  Queretaro.  —  A  Fine  Old 
Capital.  —  Maximilian  and  His  Fate.  —  A  Charming 
Plaza.  —  Mammoth  Cotton  Factory.  —  The  Maguey 
Plant.  —  Pulque  and  Other  Stimulants.  —  Beautiful 
Opals.  —  Honey  Water.  —  Ancient  Tula.  —  A  Freak  of 
Tropical  Weather 97 


CONTENTS.  vil 

CHAPTER  VII. 

City  of  Mexico.  —  Private  Dwellings.  — Thieves.  —  Old  Mex- 
ico. —  Climate.  —  Tramways.  —  The  Plaza  Mayor.  —  City 
Streets.  —  The  Grand  Paseo.  —  Public  Statues.  —  Scenes 
upon  the  Paseo.  —  The  Paseo  de  la  Viga.  —  Out-of-door 
Concerts.  —  A  Mexican  Cahallero.  —  Lottery  Ticket  Ven- 
ders. —  High  Noon.  —  Mexican  Soldiers.  —  Musicians. 

—  Criminals  as  Soldiers.  —  The  Grand  Cathedral.  —  The 
Ancient   Aztec    Temple.  —  Magnificent   View  from  the 
Towers  of  the  Cathedral.  —  Cost  of  the  Edifice.  —  Valley 

of  Anahuac 12G 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A|i  Extinct  Volcano.  —  Mexican  Mountains.  —  The  Public 
Institutions  of  the  Capital.  —  The  Government  Palace.  — 
The  Museum.  —  Maximilian's  State  Carriage.  —  A  Pecu- 
liar Plant.  —  The  Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  —  Choice  Paint- 
ings. —  Art  School.  —  Picture  Writing.  —  Native  Artists. 

—  Exquisite  Pottery.  —  Cortez's  Presents  to  Charles  V. 

—  A  Special  Aztec  Art.  —  The  Sacrificial  Stoue.  —  Span- 
ish   Historical    Authorities.  —  Public     Library.  —  The 
Plaza.  —  Flower  Market.  —  A  Morning  Visit.  —  Public 
Market.  —  Concealed  Weapons 150 

CHAPTER  IX. 

A  City  of  Vistas.  —  Want  of  Proper  Drainage.  —  Unfortu- 
nate Site.  —  Insecure  Foundations.  —  A  Boom  in  Build- 
ing Lots.  —  Pleasant  Suburbs.  —  Night  Watchmen.  —  The 
Iturbide  Hotel  —  A  Would-be  Emperor.  —  Domestic 
Arrangements.  —  A  New  Hotel  wanted.  —  Places  of  Pub- 
lic Entertainment.  —  The  Bull  Ring.  —  Repulsive  Per- 
formance. —  Monte  de  Piedad.  —  An  English  Syndicate 
purchase  it.  —  The  Alameda.  —  The  Inquisition.  —  Fes- 
tal Days.  —  Pulque  Shops.  —  The  Church  Party.  — 
Gilded  Bar-Rooms.  —  Mexican  Marriages.  —  Mothers  and 
Infants. — A  Family  Group 170 

CHAPTER   X. 

Benito  Juarez's  Grandest  Monument.  —  Hotel  del  Jardin.  — 
General  Jose*  Morelos.  —  Mexican  Ex-Convents.  —  City 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

Restaurants.  —  Lady   Smokers.  —  Domestic    Courtyards. 

—  A  Beautiful  Bird.  —  The  Grand  Cathedral    Interior. 

—  A  Devout  Lottery  Ticket  Vender.  —  Porcelain-Orna- 
mented Houses.  —  Rogues   in  Church.  —  Expensive  Jus- 
tice. —  Cemetery  of  San  Fernando.  — Juarez's  Monument. 

—  Coffins  to  Let.  —  American  and  English  Cemetery.  — 

A  Doleful  Street  and  Trade 194 

CHAPTER   XI. 

The  Shrine  of  Guadalupe.  —  Priestly  Miracles.  —  A  Remark- 
able Spring.  —  The  Chapels  about  the  Hill.  —  A  Singu- 
lar Votive  Offering.  —  Church  of  Xuestra  Seilora  de  Gua- 
dalupe. —  Costly  Decorations.  —  A  Campo  Santo.  — 
Tomb  of  Santa  Anna.  — Strange  Contrasts.  — Guadalupe- 
Hidalgo.  —  The  Twelve  Shrines  on  the  Causeway.  —  The 
Viga  Canal-  —  The  Floating  Islands.  —  Indian  Gamblers. 

—  Vegetable   Market.  —  Flower  Girls.  —  The    "  Noche- 
Triste  "  Tree.  —  Ridiculous  Signs.  —  Queer  Titles.  —  Flo- 
ral Festival 205 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Castle  of  Chapultepec.  —  "Hill  of  the  Grasshopper."  — 
Montezuma's  Retreat.  —  Palace  of  the  Aztec  Kings.  — 
West  Point  of  Mexico.  —  Battles  of  Molino  del  Rev  and 
Churubusco.  —  The  Mexican  White  House.  —  High  above 
Sea  Level.  —  Village  of  Tacubaya.  —  Antique  Carvings. 

—  Ancient  Toluca.  —  The  Maguey.  —  Fine  Scenery.  — 
Cima.  —  Snowy  Peaks.  —  Leon  d'Oro.  —  The  Bull-Ring 
and  Cockpit.  —  A  Literary  Institution.  —  The  Coral  Tree. 

—  Ancient  Pyramids.  —  Pachuca.  —  Silver  Product  of  the 
Mines.  —  A  Cornish    Colony.  —  Native  Cabins.  —  Indian 
Endurance 220 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Puebla,  the  Sacred  City.  —  General  Forey.  —  Battle-Ground. 

—  View  of  the  City.  —  Priestly   Miracles.  —  The  Cathe- 
dral.—  Snow-Crowned   Mountains. —  A  Cleanly  Capital. 

—  The    Plaza  Mayor.  — A   Typical  Picture.— The    Old 
Seller  of  Rosaries.  —  Mexican  Ladies.  —  Palm  Sunday.  — 
Church  Gala  Day.  —  Education  — Confiscation  of  Church 
Property.  — A  Curious  Arch.  —  A  Dull  Image.  — Use  of 


CONTENTS.  ix 

Glazed  Tiles.  —  Onyx  a  Staple  Production.  —  Fine  Work 
of  Native  Indian  Women.  —  State  of  Puebla  full  of  Rich 
Resources.  —  A  Dynamite  Bomb.  —  The  Key  of  the  Capi- 
tal  241 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Ancient  Cholula.  —  A  Grand  Antiquity.  —  The  Cheops  of 
Mexico.  —  Traditions  relating1  to  the  Pyramid.  —  The 
Toltecs.  —  Cholula  of  To-Day.  —  Comprehensive  View. 

—  A  Modern  Tower  of  Babel.  —  Multiplicity  of  Ruins.  — 
Cortex's  Exaggerations.  —  Sacrifices  of   Human   Beings. 

—  The   Hateful   Inquisition.  —  A  Wholesale  Murderous 
Scheme.  —  Unreliable  Historians.  —  Spanish  Falsification. 

—  Interesting   Churches.  —  Off  the    Track.  —  Personal 
Relics  of  Cortez.  —  Torturing  a  Victim.  —  Aztec  Anti- 
quities. —  Tlaxcala.  —  Church  of  San  Francisco.  —  Peon 
Dwellings.  —  Cortez  and  the  Tlaxcalans 258 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Down  into  the  Hot  Lands.  —  Wonderf  ul  Mountain  Scenery. 

—  Parasitic  Vines.  —  Luscious  Fruits.  —  Orchids.  —  Ori- 
zaba. —  State  of  Vera  Cruz.  —  The  Kodak.  —  Churches. 

—  A  Native  Artist.  —  Schools.  —  Climate.  —  Crystal  Peak 
of  Orizaba.  —  Grand  Waterfall.  —  The  American  Flag. 

—  Disappointed    Climbers.  —  A   Night   Surprise.  —  The 
French   Invasion.  —  The  Plaza.  —  Indian  Characteristics. 

—  Early  Morning  Sights.  —  Maximilian  in  Council.  —  Dif- 
ficult Engineering.  —  Wild  Flowers.  —  A  Cascade.  —  Cor- 
dova. —  The  Banana.  —  Coffee  Plantations.  —  Fertile  Soil. 

—  Market  Scenes 282 

CHAPTER   XVI. 

The  City  of  Vera  Cruz.  —  Defective  Harbor.  —  The  Dreaded 
and  also  Welcome  Norther.  —  San  Juan  d'Ulloa.  —  Land- 
ing of  Cortez.  — His  Expedition  Piratical.  —  View  of  the 
City  from  the  Sea.  —  Cortez' s  Destruction  of  his  Ships. 

—  Anecdote  of  Charles  V.  —  A  Sickly  Capital.  —  Street 
Scenes.  —  Trade.  —  The  Mantilla.  —  Plaza  de  la  Consti- 
tncion.  —  Typical    Characters.  —  Brilliant    Fireflies.  — 
Well-To-Do  Beggars.  —  Principal  Edifices.  —  The  Campo 
Santo.  —  City    Dwelling  -  Houses.  —  The    Dark  -  Plumed 


x  CONTENTS. 

Buzzards.  —  A    City   Fountain.  —  A   Varied    History.  — 
Medilliu.  —  State  of  Vera  Cruz 301 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Jalapa.  —  A  Health  Resort.  —  Birds,  Flowers,  and  Fruits.  — 
Cerro  Gordo.  —  Cathedral.  —  Earthquakes.  —  Local 
Characteristics.  —  Vanilla.  —  Ancient  Ruins.  —  Tortillas. 

—  Blondes  in  a  City  of  Brunettes.  —  Curiosities  of  Mex- 
ican Courtship.  —  Caged  Singing  Birds.  —  Banditti  Out- 
witted. —  Socialistic  Indians.  —  Traces  of  a  Lost  City. 

—  Guadalajara.  —  On  the  Mexican  Plateau  —  A  Progres- 
sive Capital.  —  Fine  Modern  Buildings.  —  The  Cathedral. 

—  Native  Artists.  —  A  Noble  Institution.  —  Amusements. 

—  San   Pedro.  —  Evening    in  the   Plaza.  —  A   Ludicrous 
Carnival.  —  Judas  Day 320 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Santa  Rosalia.  —  Mineral  Springs.  —  Chihuahua.  —  A  Pecu- 
liar City.  —  Cathedral.  —  Expensive  Bells.  —  Aqueduct. 

—  Alameda.  —  Hidalgo's  Prison  and  his  Fate.  —  Eulalia. 

—  A  Large  State.  —  A  Grand  Avenue  of  Trees.  —  Local 
Artists.  —  Grotesque  Signs.  —  Influence  of  Proximity  to 
the  United  States.  —  Native  Villages.  —  Dangerous  Sand- 
Spouts.  —  Reflections   on  Approaching   the   Frontier.  — 
Pleasant    Pictures   photographed    upon    the   Memory.  — 
Juarez,  the  Border  Town  of  Mexico.  —  City  of  El  Paso, 
Texas.  —  Railroad  Interests.  —  Crossing  the  Rio  Grande. 

—  Greeted  by  the  Stars  and  Stripes 343 


AZTEC  LAND. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Locality  and  Political  Divisions  of  Aztec  Land.  —  Spanish  Histo- 
rians. —  Boundaries.  —  Climate.  —  Egyptian   Resemblances. 

—  Products  of  the  Country.  —  Antiquities.  —  Origin  of  Races. 

—  Early    Civilization.   —  Pictorial    Writings.  —  Aboriginal 
Money.  —  Aztec  Religious  Sacrifices.  — A  Voluptuous  Court. 

—  Mexican  Independence.  —  European  Civilization  introduced 
by  Cortez.  —  Civil  Wars.  —  The  Maximilian  Fiasco.  —  Revival 
of  Mexican  Progress.  —  A  Country  facing  on  Two  Oceans.  — 
A  Native  Writer's  Statement.  —  Divorce  of  Church  and  State. 

BORDERING  upon  the  United  States  on  the  ex- 
treme southwest,  for  a  distance  of  more  than  two 
thousand  miles,  is  a  republic  which  represents  a 
civilization  possibly  as  old  as  that  of  Egypt;  a 
land,  notwithstanding  its  proximity  to  us,  of  which 
the  average  American  knows  less  than  he  does  of 
France  or  Italy,  but  which  rivals  them  in  natu- 
ral picturesqueness,  and  nearly  equals  them  in 
historic  interest. 

It  is  a  country  which  is  much  misunderstood 
and  almost  wholly  misrepresented.  It  may  be 
called  the  land  of  tradition  and  romance,  whose 
true  story  is  most  poetic  and  sanguinary.  Such 
is  Mexico,  with  her  twenty-seven  independent 
states,  a  federal  district  in  which  is  situated 
the  national  capital,  and  the  territory  of  Lower 


2  AZTEC  LAND. 

California,  —  a  widespread  country,  containing 
in  all  a  population  of  between  ten  and  eleven 
millions.  As  in  the  instance  of  this  Union,  each 
state  controls  its  internal  affairs  so  far  as  it  can 
do  so  without  conflicting  with  the  laws  of  the 
national  government,  which  are  explicitly  defined. 
The  nature  of  the  constitution,  adopted  in  1857 
by  the  combined  states,  is  that  of  a  republic  pure 
and  simple,  thoroughly  democratic  in  its  provi- 
sions. The  national  power  resides  in  the  people, 
from  whom  emanates  all  public  authority.  The 
glowing  pen  of  Prescott  has  rendered  us  all  famil- 
iar with  the  romantic  side  of  Mexican  history,  but 
legitimate  knowledge  of  her  primitive  story  is, 
unfortunately,  of  the  most  fragmentary  character. 
Our  information  concerning  the  early  inhabitants 
comes  almost  solely  through  the  writings  of  irre- 
sponsible monks  and  priests  who  could  neither 
see  nor  represent  anything  relative  to  an  idola- 
trous people  save  in  accordance  with  the  special 
interests  of  their  own  church ;  or  from  Spanish 
historians  who  had  never  set  foot  upon  the  terri- 
tory of  which  they  wrote,  and  who  consequently 
repeated  with  heightened  color  the  legends,  tradi- 
tions, and  exaggerations  of  others.  "  The  general 
opinion  may  be  expressed,"  says  Janvier,  in  his 
"  Mexican  Guide,"  "  in  regard  to  the  writings  con- 
cerning this  period  that,  as  a  rule,  a  most  gorgeous 
superstructure  of  fancy  has  been  raised  upon  a 
very  meagre  foundation  of  fact.  As  romance, 
information  of  this  highly  imaginative  sort  is 
entertaining,  but  it  is  not  edifying."  One  would 
be  glad  to  get  at  the  other  side  of  the  Aztec  story, 


BOUNDARIES.  3 

which,  we  suspect,  would  place  the  chivalric  in- 
vaders in  a  very  different  light  from  that  of 
their  own  boastful  records,  and  also  enable  us  to 
form  a  more  just  and  truthful  opinion  of  the  abo- 
rigines themselves.  That  their  numbers,  religious 
sacrifices,  and  barbaric  excesses  are  generally 
overdrawn  is  perfectly  manifest.  Every  fair- 
minded  student  of  history  frankly  admits  this.  It 
was  necessaiy  for  Cortez  and  his  followers  to  paint 
the  character  of  the  Aztecs  in  darkest  hues  to  pal- 
liate and  excuse,  in  a  measure,  their  own  wholesale 
rapine  and  murder.  It  was  the  elder  Dumas  who 
said,  "Truth  is  liable  to  be  left-handed  in  his- 
tory." As  Cortez  was  a  champion  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  that  institution  did  not  hesitate 
to  represent  his  achievements  so  as  to  redound  to 
its  own  glory.  "  Posterity  is  too  often  deceived 
by  the  vague  hyperboles  of  poets  and  rhetori- 
cians," says  Macaulay,  "  who  mistake  the  splendor 
of  a  court  for  the  happiness  of  a  people."  No  one 
can  forget  the  magnificence  of  Montezuma's  house- 
hold as  represented  by  the  chroniclers,  and  as  mag- 
nified by  time  and  distance. 

Let  us  consider  for  a  moment  the  geographical 
situation  of  this  great  southland,  which  is  sepa- 
rated from  us  only  by  a  comparatively  insignifi- 
cant stream  of  water. 

The  present  republic  of  Mexico  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  the  United  States,  from  which  it  is 
separated  in  part  by  the  narrow  Rio  Grande ;  on 
the  south  by  Guatemala,  Balize,  and  the  Pacific 
Ocean ;  on  the  east  by  the  Gulf  of  Mexico ;  and 
on  the  west  by  the  Pacific  Ocean,  extending  as  far 


4  AZTEC  LAND. 

north  as  the  Bay  of  San  Diego,  California.  Of 
its  nearly  six  thousand  miles  of  coast  line,  sixteen 
hundred  are  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  forty-two 
hundred  miles  are  on  the  Pacific.  The  topograph- 
ical aspect  of  the  country  has  been  not  inappro- 
priately likened  to  an  inverted  cornucopia.  Its 
greatest  length  from  northwest  to  southeast  is 
almost  exactly  two  thousand  miles,  and  its  great- 
est width,  which  is  at  the  twenty-sixth  degree  of 
north  latitude,  is  seven  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
The  minimum  width  is  at  the  Isthmus  of  Tehuan- 
tepec,  where  it  contracts  to  a  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  The  area  of  the  entire  republic  is  prob- 
ably a  little  less  than  eight  hundred  thousand 
square  miles.  Trustworthy  statistics  relating  to 
Mexico  are  not  attainable.  Even  official  reports 
are  scarcely  better  than  estimates.  Carlos  Butter- 
field,  accredited  statistician,  makes  the  area  of  the 
republic  about  thirty-three  thousand  square  miles 
less  than  the  figures  we  have  given.  He  also  cal- 
culates that  the  density  of  the  population  is  some 
ten  or  eleven  to  the  square  mile.  Other  authori- 
ties, however,  give  the  area  much  nearer  to  our 
own  figures.  A  detailed  survey  which  would  ena- 
ble us  to  get  at  a  satisfactory  aggregate  has  never 
been  made,  so  that  a  careful  estimate  is  all  we 
have  to  depend  upon. 

The  climate  of  the  country  is  divided  by  com- 
mon acceptation  into  three  zones,  each  of  which  is 
well  defined  :  it  being  hot  in  the  tierra  caliente,  or 
hot  lands,  of  the  coast;  temperate  in  the  tierra 
templada,  or  region  between  three  thousand  and 
six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea ;  and 


CLIMATE.  5 

cold  in  the  tierra  fria,  or  region  at  an  elevation 
exceeding  six  thousand  feet.  In  the  first  named 
the  extreme  heat  is  100°  Fahr. ;  in  the  last  the 
extreme  of  cold  is  20°  above  zero.  In  the  na- 
tional capital  the  mercury  ranges  between  65°  and 
75°  Fahr.  throughout  the  year.  In  fact,  every 
climate  known  to  the  traveler  may  be  met  with 
between  Vera  Cruz  and  the  capital  of  the  repub- 
lic. In  the  neighborhood  of  Orizaba  one  finds 
sugar-cane  and  Indian  corn,  tobacco  and  palm- 
trees,  bananas  and  peaches,  growing  side  by 
side. 

Let  us  state  in  brief,  for  general  information,  the 
main  products  of  these  three  geographical  divi- 
sions. In  the  hot  region  we  find  cotton,  vanilla, 
hemp,  pepper,  cocoa,  oranges,  bananas,  indigo, 
rice,  and  various  other  tropical  fruits.  In  the 
temperate  region,  tobacco,  coffee,  sugar,  maize,  the 
brown  bean,  peas,  and  most  of  the  favorite  north- 
ern fruits.  Here  extreme  heat  and  frost  are  alike 
unknown.  In  the  cold  region,  all  of  the  hardy 
vegetables,  such  as  potatoes,  beets,  carrots,  and 
the  cereals,  wheat  growing  at  as  high  an  elevation 
as  eighty-five  hundred  feet,  while  two  crops  annu- 
ally are  grown  in  various  sections  of  the  tierra 
templada.  Tobacco  is  indigenous  in  Mexico,  and 
derives  its  name  from  Tabaco  in  Yucatan.  Indian 
corn  and  brown  beans,  two  of  the  principal  sources 
of  the  food  consumed  by  the  natives,  are  grown  in 
all  the  states  of  the  republic. 

Mexico  is  situated  in  the  same  degree  of  lati- 
tude in  the  Western  Hemisphere  that  Egypt  occu- 
pies in  the  Eastern,  the  Tropic  of  Cancer  dividing 


6  AZTEC  LAND. 

both  countries  in  the  centre.  There  is  a  striking 
resemblance  between  them,  also,  in  many  other 
respects,  such  as  architecture,  vegetation,  domestic 
utensils,  mode  of  cultivating  the  land,  ancient 
pyramids,  and  idols,  while  both  afford  abundant 
tokens  of  a  history  antedating  all  accredited  rec- 
ord. Toltec  and  Aztec  antiquities  bear  a  remark- 
able resemblance  to  the  old  Egyptian  remains  to 
be  found  in  the  museums  of  Europe  and  America. 
Speaking  of  these  evidences  of  a  former  and  un- 
known race  still  to  be  found  in  southern  Mexico, 
especially  in,  Yucatan,  Wilson  the  historian  says : 
"  In  their  solidity  they  strikingly  remind  us  of  the 
best  productions  of  Egyptian  art.  Nor  are  they 
less  venerable  in  appearance  than  those  which 
excite  our  admiration  in  the  valley  of  the  Nile. 
Their  points  of  resemblance,  too,  are  so  numerous, 
they  carry  to  the  beholder  a  conviction  that  the 
architects  on  this  side  of  the  ocean  were  familiar 
with  the  models  on  the  other."  Doubtless  the 
volcanic  soil  of  Mexico  conceals  vast  remains  of 
the  far  past,  even  as  Pompeii  was  covered  and 
continued  unsuspected  for  centuries,  until  accident 
led  to  its  being  gradually  exhumed.  Whole  cities 
are  known  to  have  disappeared  in  various  parts  of 
Mexico,  leaving  no  more  evidence  of  their  exist- 
ence than  may  be  found  in  a  few  broken  columns 
or  some  half-disintegrated  stones.  Of  this  muta- 
bility we  shall  have  ample  evidence  as  we  pi-ogress 
on  our  route  through  the  several  states.  When  in 
various  parts  of  the  country  we  see  the  native 
laborers  irrigating  the  land  in  the  style  which  pre- 
vailed thousands  of  years  ago  on  the  banks  of  the 


POSSIBLE  ORIGIN.  1 

Nile,  and  behold  the  dark-hued  women  slightly 
clothed  in  a  white  cotton  fabric  with  faces  half-con- 
cealed, while  they  bear  water  jars  upon  their  heads, 
we  seem  to  breathe  the  very  atmosphere  of  Asia. 
The  rapid  introduction  of  railroads  and  the  mod- 
ern facilities  for  travel  are  fast  rendering  us  as 
familiar  with  the  characteristics  of  this  land  of  the 
Montezumas  as  we  have  long  been  with  that  of 
the  Pharaohs ;  and  though  it  has  not  the  halo  of 
Biblical  story  to  recommend  it  to  us,  yet  Mexico 
is  not  lacking  in  numberless  legends,  poetic  asso- 
ciations, and  the  charm  of  a  tragic  history  quite  as 
picturesque  and  absorbing  as  that  of  any  portion 
of  the  East.  Many  intelligent  students  of  history 
believe  that  the  first  inhabitants  of  this  continent 
probably  came  from  Asia  by  way  of  Behring 
Strait  or  the  Aleutian  Islands,  which  may  at  some 
period  in  past  ages  have  extended  across  the  north 
Pacific  Ocean ;  the  outermost  island  of  this  group 
(Attoo),  it  will  be  remembered,  is  at  this  time  but 
four  hundred  miles  from  the  Asiatic  coast,  whence 
it  is  believed  to  have  been  originally  peopled. 

Relative  to  the  early  peopling  of  our  continent, 
Bancroft  says :  "  It  is  shown  pretty  conclusively 
that  the  American  people  and  the  American  civili- 
zation, if  not  indigenous  to  the  New  World,  were 
introduced  from  the  Old  at  a  period  long  pre- 
ceding any  to  which  we  are  carried  by  the  tradi- 
tional or  monumental  annals  of  either  continent. 
We  have  found  no  evidence  of  any  populating  or 
civilizing  migration  across  the  ocean  from  east 
to  west,  north  or  south,  within  historic  times.  No- 
thing approaching  identity  has  been  discovered 


8  AZTEC  LAND. 

between  any  two  nations  separated  by  the  Atlan- 
tic or  Pacific.  No  positive  record  appears  even 
of  communication  between  America  and  the  Old 
World,  —  intentionally  by  commercial,  exploring, 
or  warlike  expeditions,  or  accidentally  by  ship- 
wreck, —  previous  to  the  voyages  of  the  Northmen 
in  the  tenth  century ;  yet  that  such  communi- 
cation did  take  place,  in  many  instances  and  at 
different  periods,  is  extremely  probable." 

The  emigrants  of  whom  we  have  spoken  are 
supposed  to  have  been  nomadic,  to  have  first  built 
cities  in  the  north,  —  that  is,  the  present  United 
States;  it  is  not  improbable  that  they  were  the 
mound-builders  of  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  valleys, 
and  that  they  afterward  migrated  southward  into 
Mexico.  These  pioneers  were  called  Toltecs,  and 
were  settled  south  of  the  Rio  Grande  a  thousand 
years  ago,  more  or  less,  their  capital  being  what  is 
known  to-day  as  the  city  of  Tula,  forty  miles  north- 
west of  the  present  capital  of  Mexico,  where  many 
antique  and  curious  remains  still  interest  the  trav- 
eler. The  names  of  the  nine  Toltec  kings  who  ruled 
up  to  A.  D.  1097  are  well  ascertained.  It  was  the 
fourth  king,  if  we  may  believe  the  chroniclers,  who 
built  the  city  of  Teotihuachan,  that  is,  "  the  habita- 
tion of  the  gods,"  the  only  visible  remains  of  which 
are  the  two  earth  pyramids  of  the  sun  and  the 
moon.  Of  these  we  shall  have  occasion  to  treat 
more  at  length  in  a  future  chapter.  In  speaking 
of  the  most  ancient  remains  at  Tula  and  elsewhere 
in  Mexico,  Wilson  pronounces  them  to  be  clearly 
Egyptian.  It  is  made  plain  by  authentic  writers 
upon  the  subject  that  this  people  enjoyed  a  large 


EARLY  CIVILIZATION.  9 

degree  of  civilization  ;  the  ruins  of  temples  sup- 
posed to  have  been  built  by  them  in  various  parts 
of  the  country,  especially  in  Yucatan,  also  prove 
this.  Humboldt  says  that  in  648  A.  D.  the  Toltecs 
had  a  solar  year  more  perfect  than  that  of  the 
Greeks  and  Romans.  Other  writers  tell  us  that 
they  were  a  worthy  people,  averse  to  war,  allied  to 
virtue,  to  cleanliness,  and  good  manners,  detesting 
falsehood  and  treachery.  They  introduced  the 
cultivation  of  maize  and  cotton,  constructed  exten- 
sive irrigating  ditches,  built  roads,  ana  were  a 
progressive  race.  "  But  where  is  the  country," 
asks  Humboldt,  "from  which  the  Toltecs  and 
Mexicans  issued?"  They  were  well  housed,  and 
even  elegantly  clothed,  maintained  public  schools, 
and  commemorated  passing  events  by  elaborate 
sculpture  and  by  picture-writing.  So  complete  was 
their  system  of  hieroglyphics  that  they  wrote  upon 
religion,  history,  geography,  and  the  arts.  These 
records  were  nearly  all  destroyed  by  the  malicious 
and  bigoted  iniquity  of  a  Spanish  priest  named 
Zumarrage,  who  made  it  his  business  to  seek  for 
and  burn  all  tokens,  great  and  small,  which  related 
to  the  history  of  this  extremely  interesting  people. 
A  few  of  these  curious  records,  in  the  form  of  pic- 
torial writing,  yet  remain  in  Mexico,  principally  in 
the  National  Museum  at  the  capital,  and  some  have 
found  their  way  across  the  ocean  to  adorn  the  shelves 
of  European  libraries.  One  of  these  documents, 
still  extant,  represents  the  country  as  having  first 
been  settled  by  a  race  who  came  out  of  a  great  cave 
and  traveled  over  the  realm  on  the  backs  of  turtles, 
founding  cities  and  towns  wherever  they  went. 


10  AZTEC  LAND. 

This  will  show  that  the  traditions  of  the  abori- 
gines are  so  fabulous  as  scarcely  to  deserve  men- 
tion. Touching  the  vandal  act  of  the  Catholic 
priest  Zumarrage,  Prescott  says :  "  We  contemplate 
with  indignation  the  cruelties  inflicted  by  the  early 
conquerors.  But  indignation  is  qualified  with  con- 
tempt when  we  see  them  thus  ruthlessly  trampling 
out  the  sparks  of  knowledge,  the  common  boon  and 
property  of  all  mankind.  We  may  well  doubt 
which  has  the  strongest  claim  to  civilization,  the 
victor  or  the  vanquished."  We  know  that  the  early 
inhabitants  reared  palaces,  temples,  and  pyramids, 
that  they  constructed  a  grand  system  of  aqueducts 
for  irrigating  purposes,  and  for  the  liberal  promo- 
tion of  agriculture,  being  in  many  respects  in  ad- 
vance of  the  Mexicans  of  to-day  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil,  as  well  as  in  some  productions  of  art. 

This  people,  after  several  centuries  of  occupa- 
tion, seem  to  have  been  driven  away,  probably  to 
South  America,  by  the  arrival  of  another  race  called 
Aztecs  or  Mexicans,  about  the  year  1325,  —  some 
writers  say  much  earlier,  —  who  finally,  under  the 
emperors  known  as  the  Montezumas,  brought  the 
country  to  a  lofty  height  of  barbaric  and  extravagant 
splendor,  though  they  were  largely,  if  not  almost 
entirely,  indebted  to  the  discoveries  and  genius  of 
their  intelligent  predecessors.  The  early  faith  of  the 
Toltecs,  it  is  claimed,  was  the  adoration  of  the  sun, 
moon,  and  stars.  They  offered  to  their  represen- 
tative gods  flowers,  fruits,  and  the  life-blood  of 
small  animals.  The  sacrifice  of  human  beings 
was  later  engrafted  on  their  simple  faith  by  other 
tribes. 


BARBARIC  SPLENDOR.  11 

History  tells  us  that  these  aboriginal  races  did 
not  possess  stamped  coin.  They  had  certain  signs 
of  the  value  of  different  articles,  which  took  the 
place  of  money.  One  of  these,  for  example,  is  said 
to  have  been  cacao  beans  counted  into  lots  of  eight 
thousand,  or  in  sacks  of  twenty-four  thousand  each. 
To  exchange  for  articles  of  daily  necessity  they 
used  pieces  of  cotton  cloth.  Expensive  objects 
were  paid  for  in  grains  of  gold  dust,  which  were 
carried  in  quills.  For  the  cheapest  articles,  cop- 
per pieces  cut  like  the  letter  T  were  used.  After 
the  conquest,  the  earliest  mint  was  established  in 
Mexico,  in  1538,  by  Don  Antonio  de  Mendoza, 
who  was  the  first  viceroy. 

When  Cortez  came  from  —  in  the  light  of  his- 
tory we  should  say,  ran  away  from  —  Cuba  to  con- 
quer and  possess  Mexico,  in  1519,  a  hundred  years 
before  the  Pilgrims  landed  on  the  shore  of  Massa- 
chusetts Bay,  he  encountered  a  people  who  had 
reached,  comparatively  speaking,  a  high  degree  of 
civilization,  though  weighted  by  an  idolatrous  wor- 
ship which  was  most  terrible  in  its  wild  and  reck- 
less practice  of  human  sacrifice,  as  represented  by 
Spanish  authorities.  Their  imposing  sculptures, 
curious  arms,  picture  records,  and  rich,  fanciful 
garments,  filled  the  invaders  with  surprise  and 
whetted  their  gross  avariciousness.  There  was 
much  that  was  strange  and  startling  in  their  my- 
thology, and  even  their  idol  worship  and  sacrificial 
rites  bore  evidence  of  sincerity.  Altogether,  this 
western  empire  presented  a  strange  and  fascinating 
spectacle  to  the  eyes  of  the  invaders,  who  flattered 
themselves  that  they  would  be  doing  God  service 


12  AZTEC  LAND. 

by  subjugating  these  idolaters,  and  substituting 
their  own  religion  for  that  of  the  natives.  At  the 
time  when  the  Spaniards  arrived  in  the  country, 
Montezuma  II.  was  on  the  throne,  one  of  the  most 
extravagant  of  voluptuaries.  According  to  the 
accounts  of  the  early  Spanish  chroniclers,  the  or- 
naments worn  by  him  must  have  been  equal  in 
elegance  and  value  to  the  crown-jewels  of  any  im- 
perial family  of  Europe.  Asiatic  pomp  and  luxury 
could  not  go  to  greater  extremes  than  these  writers 
attribute  to  the  Aztec  court  and  its  emperor. 
Cortez  eagerly  and  unscrupulously  possessed  him- 
self of  these  royal  gems,  and  kept  them  concealed 
upon  his  person  until  his  return  to  Spain.  They 
are  represented  to  have  been  worth  "  a  nation's 
ransom,"  but  were  lost  in  the  sea,  where  Cortez 
had  thrown  himself  in  a  critical  emergency.  The 
broad  amphitheatre,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  capi- 
tal of  Anahuac  —  "  by  the  waters  "  —  was  built, 
still  remains  ;  but  the  picturesque  lake  which  beau- 
tified it,  traversed  by  causeways  and  covered  with 
floating  gardens  laden  with  trees  and  flowers,  has 
disappeared.  Though  the  conquered  natives,  roused 
at  last  to  a  spirit  of  madness  by  the  unequaled 
cruelty  and  extortion  of  the  victors,  rose  in  a  body 
and  expelled  them  from  their  capital,  still  the  ruth- 
less valor  of  Cortez  and  his  followers,  aided  by 
artful  alliance  with  disaffected  native  tribes,  to- 
gether with  the  superiority  of  the  Spanish  weapons, 
finally  proved  too  much  for  the  reigning  power, 
and,  after  a  brave  and  protracted  struggle,  the  star 
of  the  Aztec  dynasty  set  in  blood. 

Montezuma  died  a  miserable  death  in  the  hands 


SPANISH  RULE.  13 

of  Cortez  ;  while  Guatemozin,  the  last  of  the  Aztec 
emperors,  was  ignominiously  treated,  tortured,  and 
afterwards  hanged  by  the  Spanish  conqueror. 

Three  hundred  years  of  Spanish  rule,  extortion, 
rapacity,  fraud,  and  bitter  oppression  followed,  — 
a  period  of  struggle  for  supremacy  on  the  part  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  during  which  it  relent- 
lessly crushed  every  vestige  of  opposition  by  means 
of  that  hideous  monster,  the  Inquisition.  During 
these  three  centuries,  the  same  selfish  policy  actu- 
ated the  home  government  towards  Mexico  as -was 
exercised  towards  Cuba,  namely,  to  extort  from 
the  country  and  its  people  the  largest  possible  rev- 
enue for  the  Spanish  treasury.  Finally  came  the 
successful  revohition  which  separated  the  country 
from  continental  Spain  and  achieved  the  indepen- 
dence of  the  nation. 

We  must  not,  however,  blind  ourselves  to  facts. 
Hateful  as  the  Spanish  rule  in  Mexico  appears  to 
us,  we  must  admit  that  Cortez  introduced  Euro- 
pean civilization,  such  as  it  was,  into  the  country, 
and  it  has  virtually  continued  until  the  present 
day.  We  see  that  under  his  rule  great  cities 
sprang  into  life,  magnificent  buildings  were  erect- 
ed, national  roads,  viaducts,  bridges,  and  aque- 
ducts were  built,  on  so  grand  a  scale  as  to  still 
challenge  our  admiration.  Silver  and  gold  were 
extracted  from  the  mines,  and  together  with  orna- 
mental woods,  precious  stones,  dyes  and  drugs  were 
shipped  in  unlimited  quantities  to  Spain,  whereby 
her  already  richly  endowed  treasury  became  full 
to  repletion.  True,  it  was  a  period  of  false  gods, 
of  high  living,  and  of  vice  ;  might  made  right ; 


14  AZTEC  LAND. 

morality  had  not  the  same  signification  then  as  it 
has  in  our  time.  The  conventionalities  of  one  cen- 
tury become  the  vices  of  the  next.  Virtue  and 
vice  must,  in  a  certain  degree,  be  construed  in  re- 
lation to  latitude  and  longitude.  That  which  is 
sacred  in  Samoa  to-day  may  be  considered  impious 
in  Boston. 

Cortez's  expedition,  which  landed  at  Vera  Cruz, 
April  21,  1519,  was  not  the  first  to  discover  the 
continent  in  this  neighborhood ;  he  had  been  pre- 
ceded nearly  two  years  by  a  rich  merchant  of 
Cuba,  who  fitted  out  a  couple  of  small  vessels  on 
his  own  account,  mainly  for  the  purpose  of  trading, 
and  being  also  in  search  of  that  great  lure,  gold, 
which  it  was  supposed  existed  in  large  quantities 
among  the  native  tribes  of  the  mainland.  This 
adventurer,  Francisco  Hernandez  de  Cordova, 
landed  near  the  present  Cape  Catoche,  April  8, 
1517,  having  brought  with  him  only  about  one 
hundred  men.  As  to  the  final  result  of  that  enter- 
prise we  are  not  informed,  except  that  his  landing- 
was  opposed  by  the  natives,  and  a  battle  was 
fought  in  which  fifteen  or  twenty  Indians  were 
killed  and  a  number  of  Spaniards  were  wounded. 

The  fighting  instinct  of  the  people  of  Mexico 
was  never  exercised  to  better  purpose  than  during 
the  period  between  1810  and  1821,  in  the  gallant 
and  successful  war  with  the  home  government  to 
establish  their  freedom.  On  the  15th  day  of  Sep- 
tember, 1810,  a  solemn  declaration  of  independence 
was  made,  and  for  eleven  years,  under  various  pa- 
triotic leaders,  such  as  Hidalgo  —  their  Washing- 
ton —  and  the  truly  great  Morelos,  the  trying  for- 


CIVIL  AND  FOREIGN   WARS.  15 

tunes  of  a  relentless  war  were  experienced,  until 
August  24,  1821,  when  Spain  was  forced  to  give 
up  the  contest  and  retire  humiliated  from  the  field. 
Not,  however,  until  so  late  as  1838  did  she  for- 
mally recognize  the  Mexican  republic. 

It  is  natural  to  pause  for  a  moment  in  this  con- 
nection, and  contrast  the  past  with  the  present 
status  of  Spain,  a  country  which  conquered,  pos- 
sessed, and  misruled  Mexico  for  so  long  a  period. 
In  the  sixteenth  century  she  threatened  to  become 
the  mistress  of  the  world.  In  art  she  held  the 
foremost  position.  Murillo,  Velasquez,  and  Ribi- 
era  were  her  honored  sons ;  in  literature  she  was 
represented  by  Cervantes,  Lope  de  Vega,  and  Cal- 
deron  ;  while  of  discoverers  and  conquerors  she 
sent  forth  Columbus,  Cortez,  and  Pizarro.  The 
banners  of  Castile  and  Aragon  floated  alike  on 
the  Pacific  and  the  Indian  Oceans.  Her  warriors 
were  adventurous  and  brave ;  her  soldiers  inher- 
ited the  gallantry  of  the  followers  of  Charles  V. 
She  was  the  court  of  Europe,  the  acknowledged 
leader  of  chivalry.  How  rapid  has  been  her  de- 
cadence !  As  in  the  plenitude  of  her  power  she 
was  ambitious,  cruel,  and  perfidious,  so  has  the 
measure  which  she  meted  to  others  been  in  turn 
accorded  to  herself.  To-day  there  are  none  so 
humble  as  to  do  her  honor. 

As  years  progressed,  interstate  struggles  impov- 
erished the  land  and  decimated  the  number  of  its 
ruling  spirits.  To  recall  a  list  of  the  names  of  pa- 
triot leaders  who  laid  down  their  lives  during  this 
half  century  and  more  of  civil  wars  makes  one  shud- 
der for  man's  inhumanity  to  man.  Little  progress 


16  AZTEC  LAND. 

was  made.  The  Romish  Church  held  its  parasitic 
clutch  upon  state  and  people,  impoverishing  and 
degrading  both,  until  the  burden  became  too  great 
to  bear ;  and,  in  1857,  the  Laws  of  Reform  were 
enacted  and  the  constitution  amended,  causing 
the  church  to  disgorge  its  millions  of  ill-gotten 
wealth,  and  also  depriving  it  of  its  power  for  fur- 
ther national  injury. 

A  brief  but  decisive  war  with  the  United  States 
ended  in  the  humble  submission  of  Mexico,  caus- 
ing her  to  lose  a  large  portion  of  her  territory, 
amounting  to  more  than  one  half  its  number  of 
square  miles.  Probably  very  few  of  the  read- 
ers of  these  pages  could  answer  correctly,  if  they 
were  asked  what  was  the  real  cause  of  this  war 
between  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  Let  us 
briefly  state  the  facts,  since  we  shall  incidentally 
refer  more  than  once  to  the  matter.  In  1835, 
Texas,  then  a  part  of  Mexico,  rebelled  against 
that  government,  and  succeeded  not  only  in  achiev- 
ing her  independence,  but  also  in  being  recognized 
as  a  distinct  power  by  several  of  the  nations  of 
Europe,  including  England  and  France,  as  well 
as  this  country.  After  a  lapse  of  nine  or  ten 
years,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  inhabitants, 
Texas  was  admitted  to  the  American  Union.  The 
Mexican  government  expressed  great  dissatisfac- 
tion at  this,  and  sent  troops  to  camp  all  along 
the  Rio  Grande,  which  compelled  the  President  to 
order  a  division  of  our  army  there  to  protect  the  na- 
tional interests.  The  Mexican  troops  crossed  over 
their  border  and  attacked  our  soldiers  on  Texan 
soil,  killing  sixteen  Americans  and  capturing  many 


AGGRESSIONS  PUNISHED.  17 

prisoners.  This  was  on  April  24,  1846,  and  pre- 
cipitated hostilities  at  once.  After  the  battles 
of  Palo  Alto,  May  8th,  and  Resaca  cle  la  Palma, 
May  9th,  both  fought  on  Texan  soil,  and  both, 
defeats  for  the  Mexicans,  General  Taylor  crossed 
with  his  forces  into  Mexico  and  occupied  Mata- 
moras.  The  subsequent  battles  on  Taylor's  and 
Scott's  lines  resulted  in  a  series  of  hard-won  victo- 
ries for  our  troops  in  every  instance ;  until,  finally, 
the  flag  of  the  United  States  floated  triumphantly 
over  the  city  of  Mexico.  It  was  not  this  country, 
but  Mexico,  which  was  the  aggressor,  and  it  was  her 
foolhardiness  and  outrageous  insult  which  brought 
about  the  war.  There  is  not  a  power  in  Europe 
which  would  not  have  done  precisely  as  this  coun- 
try did  when  thus  attacked.  The  author  knows 
very  well  that  it  is  the  fashion  to  berate  our  gov- 
ernment for  the  punishment  it  inflicted  upon  the 
aggressive  Mexicans,  but  we  are  not  among  those 
who  believe  that  when  nations  or  individuals  are 
smitten  upon  one  cheek  they  should  turn  the  other 
for  a  like  treatment.  Mexico  got  what  she  de- 
served, that  is,  a  thorough  drubbing,  and  lost  one 
half  of  her  territorial  possessions  in  return  for  a 
long  series  of  aggressions. 

Though  thus  geographically  curtailed,  she  is  still 
of  mammoth  proportions,  exceeding  in  size  Austria 
and  Germany  with  Sweden,  Norway,  laid  the  Neth- 
erlands combined;  or,  to  make  a  more  familiar 
comparison,  Mexico  is  sixteen  times  larger  than 
the  State  of  New  York,  stretching  through  seven- 
teen degrees  of  latitude  and  thirty  degrees  of  lon- 
gitude. Finally,  there  came  the  ridiculous  and 


18  AZTEC  LAND. 

abortive  attempt  of  Napoleon  the  Little  to  make 
a  foreigner  —  Archduke  Maximilian  of  Austria  — 
Emperor  of  Mexico,  in  which  Quixotic  purpose  he 
was  at  first  abetted  by  England  and  Spain.  After 
a  bloody  and  fruitless  struggle,  backed  by  all  the 
subtle  influence  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
the  French  withdrew  from  the  country  in  utter 
disgrace,  while  the  royal  interloper,  deceived,  de- 
serted, and  cheated  by  the  weak,  scheming  moun- 
tebank on  the  French  throne,  was  condemned  to 
death  by  a  Mexican  court  martial,  and  with  two  of 
his  most  notable  and  trusted  generals  was  shot  at 
Queretaro.  Ill-advised  as  was  the  attempt  to  es- 
tablish an  empire  on  American  soil,  and  although 
it  resulted  in  such  a  bitter  failure,  involving  the 
death  of  its  principal  actors,  and  terrible  waste  of 
human  life,  it  must  be  admitted  by  every  candid 
observer  that  Mexico  maje  great  material  advance 
during  the  brief  period  of  Maximilian's  bastard 
government.  The  national  capital  was  especially 
beautified,  and  it  exhibits  to-day  the  advantages 
of  many  grand  improvements  instituted  and  com- 
pleted by  Maximilian  and  "  poor  "  Carlotta,  his 
devoted  wife,  and  daughter  of  Leopold  I.,  king 
of  the  Belgians.  The  Mexicans  will  long  remem- 
ber that  they  owe  their  magnificent  boulevard,  the 
Paseo  de  la  Reforma,  to  Maximilian,  and  their 
charmingly  arranged  Plaza  Mayor  to  the  refined 
and  womanly  taste  of  Carlotta. 

At  last  it  would  seem  as  though  the  energies  of 
this  much  distracted  country,  so  long  the  victim 
of  the  priesthood,  professional  brigandage,  and  civil 
and  foreign  wars,  have  become  diverted  into  chan- 


PROGRESSIVE  IDEAS.  19 

nels  of  productive  industry,  developing  resources 
of  wealth  and  stability  which  have  heretofore  been 
unrecognized.  A  country  facing  upon  two  oceans, 
and  having  seven  or  eight  railroad  lines  intersect- 
ing it  in  various  directions,  cannot  remain  in  statu 
quo  ;  it  must  take  its  place  more  or  less  promptly 
in  the  grand  line  of  nations,  all  of  whom  are  mov- 
ing forward  under  the  influence  of  the  progressive 
ideas  of  the  nineteenth  century.  It  is  only  since 
1876  that  Mexico  has  enjoyed  anything  like  a 
stable  government ;  and  as  her  constitution  is  mod- 
eled upon  our  own,  let  us  sincerely  hope  for  the 
best  results.  General  Porfirio  Diaz,  President  of 
the  republic,  is  a  man  whose  official  and  private 
life  commands  the  respect  of  the  entire  people. 
That  his  administration  has  given  the  country  a 
grand  impetus,  has  largely  restored  its  credit,  and 
insured  a  continuance  of  peace,  seems  to  be  an 
undisputed  fact.  His  principal  purpose  is  plainly 
to  modernize  Mexico.  The  twelve  years  from 
1876,  when  he  became  president,  until  1889,  when 
his  third  term  commenced,  has  proved  to  be 
the  progressive  age  of  the  republic.  He  is 
of  native  birth,  and  rose  from  the  ranks  of  the 
masses.  The  only  opposition  to  his  government 
is  that  of  the  church  party,  led  by  the  Archbishop 
of  Mexico,  and  supported  by  that  great  army  of 
non-producers,  the  useless  priests,  who  fatten  upon 
the  poor  and  superstitious  populace.  At  present 
this  party  has  no  political  power  or  influence,  but 
is  working  at  all  times,  in  secret,  silently  awaiting 
an  opportunity  to  sacrifice  anything  or  everything 
to  the  sole  interests  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 


20  AZTEC  LAND. 

"The  political  struggle  in  Mexico,"  says  United 
States  Commissioner  William  Eleroy  Curtis,  "  since 
the  independence  of  the  republic,  has  been  and 
will  continue  to  be  between  antiquated,  bigoted, 
and  despotic  Romanism,  allied  with  the  ancient 
aristocracy,  under  whose  encouragement  Maximil- 
ian came,  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  spirit  of  intel- 
lectual, industrial,  commercial,  and  social  progress 
on  the  other." 

Here,  as  in  European  countries,  where  this  form 
of  faith  prevails,  it  is  the  women  mostly  —  we 
might  almost  say  solely,  in  Mexico  —  who  give 
their  attendance  upon  the  ceremonies  of  the 
church.  The  male  population  are  seldom  seen 
within  its  walls,  though  yielding  a  sort  of  tacit 
acquiescence  to  the  faith.  We  are  speaking  of 
large  communities  in  the  cities  and  among  the 
more  intelligent  classes.  The  peons  of  the  rural 
districts,  the  ignorant  masses  who  do  not  think  for 
themselves,  but  who  are  yet  full  of  superstitious 
fears,  are  easily  impressed  by  church  parapherna- 
lia, gorgeous  trappings,  and  gilded  images.  This 
class,  men  and  women,  are  completely  under  the 
guidance  of  the  priesthood.  "  Although  the  clergy 
still  exercise  a  powerful  influence  among  the  com- 
mon people,"  says  Commissioner  Curtis,  "  whose 
superstitious  ignorance  has  not  yet  been  reached 
by  the  free  schools  and  compulsory  education  law, 
in  politics  they  are  powerless."  It  was  in  1857 
that  Mexico  formally  divorced  the  church  and 
state  by  an  amendment  to  her  constitution,  thereby 
granting  unrestricted  freedom  of  conscience  and 
religious  worship  to  all  persons,  sects,  and  churches. 


A  NATION  PLUNDERED.  21 

Several  denominations  in  the  United  States  avail 
themselves  of  this  privilege,  and  in  some  of  the 
cities  Protestant  churches  have  been  established 
where  regular  weekly  services  are  held.  "  With 
the  overthrow  of  Montezuma's  empire  in  1520," 
says  that  distinguished  native  Mexican  writer, 
Riveray  Rio,  "began  the  rule  of  the  Spaniard, 
which  lasted  just  three  hundred  years.  During 
this  time,  Rome  and  Spain,  priest  and  king,  held 
this  land  and  people  as  a  joint  possession.  The 
greedy  hand  was  ever  reached  out  to  seize  alike 
the  product  of  the  mine  and  soil.  The  people 
were  enslaved  for  the  aggrandizement  and  power 
of  a  foreign  church  and  state.  It  was  then  that 
the  Church  of  Rome  fostered  such  a  vast  army  of 
friars,  priests,  and  nuns,  acquired  those  vast  landed 
estates,  and  erected  such  an  incredible  number  of 
stone  churches,  great  convents,  inquisitorial  build- 
ings, Jesuit  colleges,  and  gathered  such  vast  stores 
of  gold  and  silver.  All  this  time  the  poor  people 
were  being  reduced  to  the  utmost  poverty,  and 
every  right  and  opportunity  for  personal  and  civil 
advancement  was  taken  from  them.  They  were 
left  to  grope  on  in  intellectual  darkness.  They 
could  have  no  commerce  with  foreign  nations.  If 
they  made  any  advance  in  national  wealth,  it  was 
drained  away  for  royal  and  ecclesiastical  tribute. 
Superstition  reigned  under  the  false  teachings  of  a 
corrupt  priesthood,  while  the  frightful  Inquisition, 
by  its  cruel  machinery,  coerced  the  people  to  an 
abjectness  that  has  scarcely  had  a  parallel  in  hu- 
man history.  Under  such  a  dispensation  of  evil 
rule,  Mexico  became  of  less  and  less  importance 
among  the  family  of  nations." 


22  AZTEC  LAND. 

This  brief  summary  brings  us  to  the  peaceful 
and  comparatively  prosperous  condition  of  the  re- 
public to-day,  and  prepares  the  canvas  upon  which 
to  sketch  the  proposed  pen  pictures  of  this  inter- 
esting country,  with  which  we  are  so  intimately 
connected,  both  politically  and  geographically. 


CHAPTEE  II. 

Remarkably  Fertile  Soil.  —  Valuable  Native  Woods.  —  Mexican 
Flora.  —  Coffee  and  Tobacco.  —  Mineral  Products.  —  Silver 
Mines.  —  Sugar  Lands. — Manufactories.  —  Cortez's  Presents 
to  Charles  V.  —  Water  Power.  —  Coal  Measures.  —  Railroads. 
—  Historic  Locality.  —  Social  Characteristics.  —  People  di- 
vided into  Castes.  —  Peonage.  —  Radical  Progress.  —  Educa- 
tion and  the  Priesthood.  —  A  Threshing  Machine.  —  Social 
Etiquette.  —  Political  Organization  of  the  Government.  — 
Mexico  the  Synonym  of  Barbarism. — Production  and  Busi- 
ness Handicapped  by  an  Excessive  Tariff. 

MEXICO  is  remarkable  for  the  fertility  and  pecu- 
liar productiveness  of  her  soil,  both  of  a  vegetable 
and  mineral  character,  though  the  former  is  very 
largely  dependent  upon  irrigation,  and  almost  every- 
where suffers  for  want  of  intelligent  treatment.  As 
a  striking  proof  of  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  an  able 
writer  upon  the  subject  tells  us,  among  other  statis- 
tical facts,  that  while  wheat  cultivated  in  France  and 
some  other  countries  averages  but  six  grains  for 
one  planted,  Mexican  soil  gives  an  average  product 
of  twenty-two  times  the  amount  of  seed  which  is 
sown.  Humboldt  was  surprised  at  this  when  it 
was  reported  to  him,  and  took  pains  to  verify  the 
fact,  finding  the  statement  to  be  absolutely  cor- 
rect. Being  situated  partly  in  the  tropics  and 
partly  in  the  temperate  zone,  its  vegetable  products 
partake  of  both  regions,  and  are  varied  in  the 
extreme.  In  the  hot  lands  are  dense  forests  of 


24  AZTEC  LAND. 

rosewood,  mahogany,  and  ebony,  together  with 
dyewoods  of  great  commercial  value,  while  in  the 
temperate  and  cooler  districts  the  oak  and  pine 
are  reasonably  abundant.  It  must  be  admitted, 
however,  that  those  districts  situated  near  popu- 
lous neighborhoods  have  been  nearly  denuded  of 
their  growth  during  centuries  of  waste  and  destruc- 
tion by  the  conquering  Spaniards.  From  this 
scarcity  of  commercial  wood  arises  the  absence  of 
framed  houses,  and  the  universal  use  of  stone  and 
clay,  or  adobe,  for  building  purposes.  There  is 
valuable  wood  enough  in  certain  districts,  which 
is  still  being  wasted.  The  sleepers  of  the  Mon- 
terey and  Mexican  Gulf  railway  are  nearly  all 
of  ebony.  Attention  having  been  called  to  the 
fact,  orders  have  been  issued  to  save  this  wood  for 
shipment  to  our  Northern  furniture  manufacturers. 
Iron  ties  and  sleepers  are  being  substituted  on  the 
trunk  lines  of  the  railways  as  fast  as  the  wooden 
ones  decay,  being  found  so  much  more  durable. 
Those  used  on  the  Vera  Cruz  line  are  imported 
from  England ;  on  the  Mexican  Central,  from  the 
United  States.  There  is  a  low,  scrubby  growth  of 
wood  on  the  table-lands  and  mountain  sides,  which 
is  converted  by  the  peons  into  charcoal  and  trans- 
ported on  the  backs  of  the  burros  (jackasses)  long 
distances  for  economical  use  in  the  cities  and  vil- 
lages. All  the  delicious  fruits  of  the  West  Indies 
are  abundantly  produced  in  the  southern  section, 
and  all  the  substantial  favorites  of  our  North- 
ern and  Western  States  thrive  luxuriantly  in  her 
middle  and  northern  divisions.  Some  of  the 
cultivated  berries  are  remarkably  developed  ;  the 


MEXICAN  FLORA.  25 

strawberry,  for  instance,  thrives  beyond  all  prece- 
dent in  central  Mexico,  and  while  larger,  it  is  no 
less  delicately  flavored  than  our  own  choice  varie- 
ties. The  flora  throughout  Mexico  is  exceedingly 
rich  and  varied,  botanists  having  recognized  over 
ten  thousand  families  of  plants  indigenous  to  the 
soil.  It  appeared  to  the  writer,  however,  that 
while  the  color  of  the  flowers  was  intensified  above 
that  of  our  Northern  States,  their  fragrance  was 
not  so  well  defined.  Even  the  soft  green  mosses 
threw  out  a  star-like  blossom  of  tiny  proportions, 
which  seemed  almost  as  full  of  expression  as  hu- 
man eyes,  while  they  emitted  a  subdued  fragrance. 
The  best-grown  coffee  of  the  country  is  in  our 
estimation  equal  to  the  best  grades  of  Mocha  or 
Java,  while  the  tobacco  produced  in  several  of  the 
states  compares  favorably  with  the  much-lauded 
brands  of  Cuba.  The  most  fertile  regions  of 
Mexico  lie  on  the  east  and  west,  where  the  dis- 
tricts decline  abruptly  from  the  great  plateau,  or 
table-land,  towards  the  coast. 

The  Monterey  and  Mexican  Gulf  railway  has 
lately  opened  access  to  most  excellent  land,  suit- 
able for  sugar  plantations,  equal  to  the  best  in 
Louisiana  devoted  to  this  purpose,  and  which 
can  be  bought  for  a  mere  song,  as  the  saying  is. 
These  lands  are  better  adapted  to  sugar  raising 
than  those  of  the  State  just  named,  because  frost  is 
here  unknown.  In  the  opening  of  these  tropical 
districts  by  railroad,  connected  with  our  South- 
ern system,  we  have  offered  us  the  opportunity  to 
secure  all  the  products  which  we  now  get  from 
Cuba.  These  staples  are  equal  in  quality,  and  can 


26  AZTEC  LAND. 

be  landed  at  our  principal  commercial  centres  at  a 
much  less  cost  than  is  paid  for  shipments  from 
that  island.  Such  is  the  arbitrary  rule  of  Spain 
in  Cuba,  and  the  miserable  political  condition  of 
her  people,  that  all  business  transacted  in  her 
ports  is  handicapped  by  regulations  calculated  to 
drive  commerce  away  from  her  shores.  The  fact 
should  also  be  recalled  that  while  Mexico  produces 
every  article  which  we  import  from  Cuba,  she  has 
over  five  times  the  population  to  consume  our 
manufactures  and  products,  rendering  her  com- 
mercial intercourse  with  us  just  so  much  more 
important.  At  present,  or  rather  heretofore,  she 
has  sought  to  exchange  her  native  products  almost 
wholly  with  Europe,  through  the  port  of  Vera 
Cruz ;  but  on  account  of  the  excellent  facilities 
afforded  by  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad  the  vol- 
ume of  trade  has  already  begun  to  set  towards  the 
United  States.  While  upon  the  subject  it  may  be 
mentioned  incidentally  that  the  way  business  of 
this  railroad  has  exceeded  all  calculations,  and  yet 
it  is  but  partially  developed,  the  rolling  stock  be- 
ing quite  inadequate  to  the  demand  for  freight 
transportation. 

In  minerals  it  would  seem  as  though  the  list  of 
products  was  unequaled.  At  present  the  silver 
mines  are  undoubtedly  the  greatest  source  of 
wealth  to  the  country,  though  under  proper  condi- 
tions the  agricultural  capacity  of  the  land  would 
doubtless  exceed  all  other  interests  in  pecuniary 
value,  as  indeed  is  the  case  in  most  other  gold 
and  silver  producing  countries.  The  principal 
mineral  products  of  Mexico  are  iron,  tin,  cinna- 


MINERAL  PRODUCTS.  27 

bar,  silver,  gold,  alum,  sulphur,  and  lead.  In  the 
state  of  Durango,  large  masses  of  the  best  mag- 
netic iron  ore  are  found,  which  at  some  future 
day  will  supply  the  material  for  a  great  and  use- 
ful industry.  Other  iron  mines  exist,  and  some 
have  been  utilized  to  a  limited  extent.  Coal  is 
found  in  abundance,  notably  in  the  states  of  Oa- 
xaca,  Sonora,  Nuevo  Leon,  and  Coahuila.  These 
coal  measures  are  particularly  valuable  in  a  coun- 
try many  parts  of  which  are  treeless  and  without 
economical  fuel.  The  total  coinage  of  silver  ore 
in  the  mints  of  Mexico  to  this  date,  we  were  in- 
telligently informed,  amount  to  the  enormous  ag- 
gregate of  three  thousand  millions  of  dollars,  to 
which  may  be  added,  in  arriving  at  the  total  prod- 
uct of  the  mines,  the  amount  exported  in  bars  and 
the  total  value  consumed  in  manufactures.  This 
last  item  amounts  to  a  much  larger  figure  than  one 
who  has  not  given  the  subject  careful  thought 
would  be  prepared  to  admit. 

Mexico  can  hardly  be  spoken  of  as  a  manufac- 
turing country,  in  the  usual  acceptation  of  the 
term,  though  the  Spaniards  found  that  cotton  cloth 
had  been  made  here  long  before  their  advent.  It 
is  also  a  fact  that  such  domestic  goods  as  the  masses 
of  her  population  absolutely  require  she  produces 
within  her  own  limits  by  native  industry,  such  as 
cotton  cloth,  blankets,  woollen  cloth,  cotton  shawls, 
leather  goods,  saddlery,  boots,  shoes,  hats,  and 
other  articles  of  personal  wear.  There  are  over 
twenty  large  woollen  mills  in  the  country,  several 
for  the  production  of  carpeting,  and  many  cotton 
mills,  the  product  of  the  latter  being  almost  wholly 


28  AZTEC  LAND. 

the  unbleached  article,  which  is  universally  worn 
by  the  masses.  The  cotton  mills  are  many  of  them 
large,  and  worthy  of  special  commendation  for  the 
healthful  and  beneficent  system  adopted  in  them, 
as  well  as  for  the  excellence  of  their  output.  The 
number  of  factories  of  all  sorts  in  the  country  is 
estimated  at  about  one  hundred.  There  is  nearly 
enough  sugar  produced  on  the  plantations  to  satisfy 
the  home  demand,  an  industry  which  might  be  in- 
definitely extended.  Climate,  soil,  and  the  rate 
of  wages  all  favor  such  an  idea.  The  Sandwich 
Islands,  which  have  been  so  largely  resorted  to  for 
the  establishment  of  sugar  plantations,  cannot  show 
one  half  the  advantages  which  lie  unimproved  on 
the  new  lines  of  the  Mexican  railways.  If  a  capi- 
talist were  considering  the  purpose  of  establishing 
a  large  sugar  plantation,  the  fact  of  cheap  and  easy 
transportation  to  market  being  here  close  at  hand 
should  alone  settle  the  question  as  between  the 
islands  referred  to  and  this  locality.  Hardware 
and  cutlery,  of  excellent  quality  and  in  large  quan- 
tities, are  manufactured.  The  paper,  household 
furniture,  pottery,  crockery,  and  even  glass  gen- 
erally in  use,  are  of  home  production,  which  will 
give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  present  native  re- 
sources of  the  country,  developed  not  by  fortuitous 
aid,  but  under  the  most  depressing  circumstances. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Cortez,  soon  after  he 
landed  in  Mexico,  sent  to  Charles  V.  specimens  of 
native  cotton  fabrics,  so  that  probably  cotton  was 
not  only  grown  but  manufactured  here  as  early  as 
in  any  other  country.  The  historians  tell  us  that 
the  Aztecs  made  as  large  and  as  delicate  webs  as 


IRRIGATION  A  NECESSITY.  29 

those  of  Holland.  Besides  working  in  textile 
fabrics,  this  ancient  people  wrought  metals,  hewed 
stone,  and  manufactured  pottery  of  delicate  forms 
and  artistic  finish.  The  misfortune  of  one  country 
is  the  gain  of  another.  The  paucity  of  fuel  where- 
with to  obtain  steam  power,  and  the  lack  of  rivers 
capable  of  giving  water  power,  must  always  prevent 
Mexico  from  being  a  competing  country,  as  to 
manufactures,  with  the  United  States,  where  these 
essentials  abound.  She  has,  however,  only  to  turn 
her  attention  to  the  export  of  fruits,  and  other 
products  which  are  indigenous  to  her  sunny  land, 
to  acquire  ample  means  wherewith  to  purchase 
from  this  country  whatever  she  may  desire  in  the 
line  of  luxuries  or  necessities. 

That  a  portion  of  Mexico  is  utterly  sterile  and 
unavailable  is  just  as  much  a  fact  as  that  we  have 
such  regions  in  the  western  part  of  the  United 
States.  There  are  large  sections  here  which  suffer 
from  annual  droughts,  but  which  might  be  re- 
deemed by  irrigation,  the  facilities  for  which  in 
most  cases  are  near  enough  at  hand,  only  requir- 
ing to  be  properly  engineered.  It  is  not  correct 
to  paint  everything  of  rose-color  in  the  republic ; 
it  has  its  serious  drawbacks,  like  all  other  lands 
under  the  sun.  The  want  of  water  is  the  prevail- 
ing trouble,  but,  like  Australia,  this  country  has 
enough  of  the  precious  liquid  if  properly  conserved 
and  adapted.  The  Rio  Grande  produces  more 
water  in  a  twelvemonth  than  the  great  Murray 
liiver  of  Australia,  which  is  flooded  at  certain  sea- 
sons and  is  a  "  dry  run  "  at  others.  As  we  have 
intimated,  the  absence  of  available  wood  and  coal 


30  AZTEC  LAND. 

will  prevent  the  growth  of  manufactures  in  Mexico, 
at  least,  until  the  coal  deposits  are  opened  up  by 
railroads.  The  coal  measures  are  not  yet  fully 
surveyed,  or  developed,  but  sufficient  has  been 
shown  to  demonstrate  their  great  extent  and  val- 
uable qualities.  When  these  coal  deposits  shall 
be  brought  by  means  of  railroads,  already  pro- 
jected or  in  course  of  construction,  within  the 
reach  of  the  business  centres,  and  deliverable  to 
consumers  at  reasonable  prices,  a  great  impetus  to 
manufactures  will  be  realized  through  this  article 
of  prime  necessity.  A  company  has  lately  been 
formed  in  England  to  explore  and  develop  these 
coal  fields,  for  which  purpose  a  liberal  concession 
has  been  obtained  from  the  Mexican  government. 
This  is  only  one  more  evidence  of  the  fact  that 
foreign  capital  and  foreign  enterprise  are  flowing 
towards  the  country.  It  will  be  observed  also  that 
these  new  companies  are  mos  ,ly  English ;  some  are 
German ;  but  there  are  comparatively  few  Ameri- 
cans engaged  in  these  enterprises.  We  have  seen 
it  in  print  that  Mexico  was  fast  becoming  Ameri- 
canized, but  this  is  a  mistake  ;  there  are  many 
more  Europeans  than  Americans  in  Mexico,  as  we 
use  the  word  Americans,  that  is,  people  of  the 
United  States. 

Where  water  power  is  to  be  obtained,  it  is  im- 
proved to  the  utmost,  as  at  Queretaro,  where  a 
small  river  is  made  to  turn  the  largest  overshot 
wheel  which  has  ever  been  constructed,  furnishing 
power  in  the  famous  Hercules  Cotton  Factory  of 
that  city,  which  gives  regular  employment  to  many 
hundred  native  men  and  women. 


RAILROAD  INTERESTS.  31 

An  improved  and  stable  system  of  government 
and  increased  railroad  facilities  are  doing  wonders 
for  our  neighbors  across  the  Rio  Grande.  The 
iron  horse  and  steel  rail  are  great  promoters  of 
civilization.  It  would  be  impossible  to  overesti- 
mate the  importance  of  this  branch  of  progress 
in  the  interests  of  both  Mexico  and  the  United 
States,  by  which  means  we  are  constantly  becom- 
ing more  and  more  intimately  united.  The  Mexi- 
can Central  Railroad  has  lately  completed  its  con- 
nection with  Tampico  on  the  Gulf  by  a  branch 
road  running  almost  due  east  from  its  main  trunk, 
starting  near  or  at  Aguas  Calientes  ;  another,  run- 
ning about  due  west  towards  the  port  of  San  Bias 
on  the  Pacific,  has  already  been  completed  as  far 
as  Guadalajara,  starting  from  the  main  trunk  at 
Irapuato.  The  former  city  being  the  present  ter- 
minus of  the  road,  is  considered  the  second  in  im- 
portance in  Mexico.  When  the  narrow  space  still 
remaining  is  opened  b}  rail,  the  continent  will  be 
crossed  by  railway  trail  s  between  the  Atlantic  and 
Pacific  at  a  narrow  and  most  available  point.  The 
increase  of  way  passengers  and  freight  upon  this 
road  during  the  past  two  years  is  a  source  of  sur- 
prise and  of  gratification  to  the  company.  The 
rolling  stock  is  being  monthly  increased,  having 
proved  to  be  inadequate  to  the  business. 

The  Tainpico  branch  of  this  road  passes  through 
scenery  which  experienced  travelers  pronounce  to 
be  equal  in  grandeur  to  any  on  this  continent. 
Indeed,  had  the  appalling  engineering  difficulties 
to  be  encountered  been  fully  realized  before  the 
road  was  begun,  it  is  doubtful  if  it  would  have 


32  AZTEC  LAND. 

been  built.  The  cost  has  slightly  exceeded  ten 
million  dollars.  That  which  seemed  easy  enough, 
as  designed  upon  paper,  proved  to  be  a  herculean 
task  in  the  consummation.  It  was  a  portion  of  the 
original  plan,  when  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad 
was  surveyed,  to  build  this  branch,  and  six  years 
after  the  completion  of  the  main  trunk  the  Tam- 
pico  road  was  duly  opened.  The  distance  from 
this  harbor  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  Aguas 
Calientes  is  a  trifle  over  four  hundred  miles.  With 
the  improvements  already  under  way,  it  will  be 
rendered  the  best  seaport  on  the  Gulf,  infinitely 
superior,  especially  in  point  of  safe  anchorage,  to 
the  open  roadstead  of  Vera  Cruz.  Every  ton  of 
freight  is  now  landed  at  the  latter  port  by  lighters, 
and  must  continue  to  be  so  from  the  nature  of  the 
coast ;  while  in  a  couple  of  years  at  farthest  Tam- 
pico  will  have  a  most  excellent  harbor,  perfectly 
sheltered,  where  the  largest  steamships  can  lie  at 
the  wharf  and  discharge  their  cargoes.  We  are 
sorry  to  say  that  San  Bias,  on  the  Pacific  side, 
does  not  promise  to  make  so  desirable  a  port.  It 
is  even  suggested  that  Mazatalan,  further  north, 
should  be  made  the  terminus  of  this  branch  road. 
American  enterprise  and  progressive  ideas  are 
peacefully  but  surely  revolutionizing  a  country 
where  all  previous  change  has  been  accomplished 
by  the  sword,  and  all  advance  has  been  from  scaf- 
fold to  scaffold.  It  would  seem  as  though  political 
convulsions  formed  one  of  the  conditions  of  national 
progress.  In  our  own  instance,  through  what  seas 
of  blood  had  we  to  wade  in  abolishing  that  long 
standing  curse  of  this  land,  negro  slavery.  The 


SITUATION  OF  THE  CAPITAL.  33 

Czar  of  Russia  freed  the  millions  of  serfs  in  his 
empire  by  a  bold  and  manly  ukase ;  but  the  no- 
bility, who  counted  their  wealth  by  the  number  of 
human  beings  whom  they  held  in  thralldom,  have 
not  yet  forgiven  the  Czar  for  doing  so.  Revenge 
for  that  philanthropic  act  is  still  the  motive  of 
the  conspiracies  which  occasionally  come  to  the 
surface  in  that  country.  "  Every  age  has  its  prob- 
lem," says  Heinrich  Heine,  "  by  solving  which 
humanity  is  helped  forward." 

The  federal  capital  of  Mexico  is  in  the  centre  of 
a  country  of  surpassing  richness  and  beauty,  but 
from  the  day  of  its  foundation,  between  seven  and 
eight  hundred  years  ago,  it  has  been  the  theatre 
of  constant  revolutions  and  bitter  warfare,  where 
hecatombs  of  human  beings  have  been  sacrificed 
upon  idolatrous  altars,  where  a  foreign  religion  has 
been  established  at  the  spear's  point,  through  tor- 
ture by  fire  and  the  rack,  and  where  rivers  of 
blood  have  been  ruthlessly  spilled  in  battle,  some- 
times in  repelling  a  foreign  foe,  but  only  too  often 
in  still  more  cruel  civil  wars.  Some  idea  of  the 
chronic  political  upheavals  of  the  country  may  be 
had  from  the  brief  statement  that  there  have  been 
fifty-four  presidents,  one  regency,  and  one  emperor 
in  the  last  sixty-two  years,  and  nearly  every  change 
of  government  has  been  effected  by  violence.  Be- 
tween 1821  and  1868,  the  form  of  government 
was  changed  ten  times. 

Politeness  and  courtesy  are  as  a  rule  character- 
istics of  the  intelligent  and  middle  classes  of  the 
people  of  Mexico,  and  are  also  observable  in  inter- 
course with  the  humbler  ranks  of  the  masses.  They 


34  AZTEC  LAND. 

have  heretofore  looked  upon  Americans  as  being 
hardly  more  than  semi-civilized.  Those  with  whom 
they  have  been  most  brought  in  contact  have  been 
reckless  and  adventurous  frontiersmen,  drovers, 
Texans,  cow  boys,  often  individuals  who  have  left 
their  homes  in  the  Northern  or  Middle  States  with 
the  stigma  of  crime  upon  them.  The  inference 
they  have  drawn  from  contact  with  such  represen- 
tatives of  our  population  has  been  but  natural.  If 
Mexicans  travel  abroad,  they  generally  do  so  in 
Europe,  sailing  from  Vera  Cruz,  and  they  know 
comparatively  little  of  us  socially.  It  is  equally 
true  that  we  have  been  in  the  habit  of  regarding 
the  Mexicans  in  much  the  same  light.  This  mutual 
feeling  is  born  of  ignorance,  and  the  nearer  rela- 
tion into  which  the  two  countries  are  now  brought 
by  means  of  the  excellent  system  of  railroads  is 
rapidly  dispelling  the  misconception  on  both  sides 
of  the  Rio  Grande.  The  masses,  especially  the 
peons,  are  far  more  illiterate  than  in  this  country, 
and  are  easily  led  by  the  higher  intelligence  of  the 
few  ;  nor  have  the  Mexicans  yet  shown  much  real 
progress  in  the  purpose  of  promoting  general  edu- 
cation, though  incipient  steps  have  been  taken  in 
that  direction  in  most  of  their  cities,  affording  sub- 
stantial proof  of  the  progressive  tendencies  of  the 
nation.  We  heard  in  the  city  of  Mexico  of  free 
night  schools  being  organized,  designed  for  the 
improvement  of  adults. 

A  division  of  the  populace  into  castes  rules  here 
almost  as  imperiously  as  it  does  in  India,  and  it 
will  require  generations  of  close  contact  with  a 
more  cultured  and  democratic  people  before  these 


PEONAGE.  35 

servile  ideas  can  be  obliterated.  Though  we  hear 
little  or  nothing  said  about  this  matter,  yet  to  an 
observant  eye  it  has  daily  and  hourly  demonstra- 
tion. The  native  Indians  of  Mexico  are  of  a  dif- 
ferent race  from  their  employers.  Originally  con- 
quered and  enslaved  by  the  Spaniards,  though  they 
have  since  been  emancipated  by  law,  they  are  still 
kept  in  a  quasi  condition  of  peonage  by  superior 
wit  and  finesse.  The  proprietor  of  a  large  hacienda, 
who  owns  land,  say  ten  miles  square,  manages,  by 
advancing  money  to  them,  to  keep  the  neighboring 
people  in  his  debt.  They  are  compelled  by  ne- 
cessity to  purchase  their  domestic  articles  of  con- 
sumption from  the  nearest  available  supply,  which 
is  the  storehouse  of  the  hacienda.  Here  they  must 
pay  the  price  which  is  demanded,  let  it  be  never  so 
unreasonable.  This  arrangement  is  all  against  the 
peon,  and  all  in  favor  of  the  employer.  The  lesser 
party  to  such  a  system  is  pretty  sure  to  be  cheated 
right  and  left,  especially  as  the  estate  is  nearly 
always  administered  by  an  agent  and  not  by  the 
owner  himself.  There  are  some  notable  exceptions 
to  this,  but  these  only  prove  the  rule.  So  long  as 
the  employes  owe  the  proprietor  money,  they  are 
bound  by  law  to  remain  in  his  service.  Wages  are 
so  low  —  say  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  cents 
per  day  —  that  were  the  natives  of  a  thrifty,  ambi- 
tious, and  provident  disposition,  which  is  by  no 
means  the  case,  they  could  not  save  a  dollar  to- 
wards their  pecuniary  emancipation.  The  laboring 
classes  seem  to  have  no  idea  of  economy  or  of  pro- 
viding for  the  morrow.  Food,  coarse  food,  and 
amusement  for  the  present  hour,  that  is  all  they 


36  AZTEC  LAND. 

desire,  and  is  all  about  which  they  seriously  con- 
cern themselves.  The  next  score  of  years,  while 
they  will  probably  do  much  for  the  country  as 
regards  commercial  and  intellectual  improvement, 
will  prove  fatal  in  a  degree  to  the  picturesqueness 
which  now  renders  Mexico  so  attractive.  Radical 
progress  in  one  direction  must  needs  be  destructive 
in  another,  and  while  some  of  the  allurements  of 
her  strong  individuality  will  disappear,  her  moral 
and  physical  status  will  be  greatly  improved.  Her 
ragged,  half-naked  people  will  don  proper  attire, 
sacrificing  the  gaudy  colors  which  now  make  every 
outdoor  scene  kaleidoscopic ;  a  modern  grain 
thresher  will  take  the  place  of  weary  animals  plod- 
ding in  a  circle,  treading  out  the  grain  ;  half-clad 
women  at  the  fountains  will  disappear,  and  iron 
pipes  will  convey  water  for  domestic  use  to  the 
place  of  consumption.  The  awkward  branch  of 
crooked  wood  now  used  to  turn  the  soil  will  be  re- 
placed by  the  modern  plough,  and  reaping  machines 
will  relieve  the  weary  backs  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  who  slowly  grub  beneath  a  burning  sun 
through  the  broad  grain  fields.  Irrigating  streams 
will  be  made  to  flow  by  their  own  gravitation,  while 
the  wooden  bucket  and  well-sweep  will  become  idle 
and  useless.  Still,  we  are  not  among  those  who  see 
only  a  bright  side  for  the  future  of  the  republic,  nor 
do  we  believe  so  confidently  as  some  writers  in  her 
great  natural  resources.  They  are  abundant,  but 
not  so  very  exceptional  as  enthusiasts  would  have 
us  believe.  Aside  from  the  production  of  silver, 
which  all  must  admit  to  be  inexhaustible,  she  has 
very  little  to  boast  of.  It  is  doubtful  if  any  other 


PEOGEESS.  37 

equal  area  in  the  world  possesses  larger  deposits  of 
the  precious  metals,  or  has  already  yielded  to  man 
more  bountifully  of  them.  We  have  seen  it  as- 
serted by  careful  and  experienced  writers,  that  one 
half  of  all  the  silver  now  in  use  among  the  nations 
originally  came  from  Mexico.  Her  real  and  per- 
manent progress  is  inevitable  ;  but  it  will  be  very 
gradual,  coming  not  through  her  rich  mines  of  gold 
and  silver,  but  by  the  growth  of  her  agricultural 
and  manufacturing  interests ;  and  if  in  a  score  of 
years  she  can  assume  a  position  of  respect  and 
importance  in  the  line  of  nations,  it  is  all  that  can 
reasonably  be  expected.  If  Mexico  can  but  ad- 
vance in  progressive  ideas  as  rapidly  during  the 
next  ten  years  as  she  has  done  during  the  decade 
just  past,  the  period  we  have  named  will  be  abbre- 
viated, and  her  condition  will  amount  to  a  moral 
revolution. 

Our  sister  republic  has  yet  to  accomplish  two 
special  and  important  objects :  first,  the  suppres- 
sion of  the  secret  and  malign  influence  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  priesthood  ;  and,  secondly,  the  pro- 
motion of  education  among  the  masses.  Since  the 
separation  of  church  and  state,  in  1857,  education 
has  made  slow  but  steady  advances.  Most  of  the 
states  have  adopted  the  system  of  compulsory  edu- 
cation, penalties  being  affixed  to  non-compliance 
with  the  law,  and  rewards  decreed  for  those  who 
voluntarily  observe  the  same.  Though  shorn  of 
so  large  a  degree  of  its  temporal  powers,  the  church 
is  still  secretly  active  in  its  machinations  for  evil. 
The  vast  army  of  non-producing,  indolent  priests 
is  active  in  one  direction,  namely,  that  for  the 


38  AZTEC  LAND. 

suppression  of  all  intelligent  progress,  and  the 
complete  subjugation  of  the  common  people  through 
superstition  and  ignorance.  A  realization  of  the 
condition  of  affairs  may  be  had  from  the  following 
circumstance  related  to  us  by  a  responsible  Amer- 
ican resident.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the 
wheat,  which  in  some  well-irrigated  districts  is  the 
principal  product,  is  threshed  by  means  of  piling 
it  up  on  the  hard  clay  soil,  and  driving  goats, 
sheep,  and  burros  over  it.  These  animals  trudge 
round  and  round,  with  weary  limbs,  knee  deep  in 
the  straw,  for  hours  together,  urged  forward  by 
whips  in  the  hands  of  men  and  boys,  and  thus  the 
grain  is  separated  from  the  stalks.  Of  course  the 
product  threshed  out  in  this  manner  is  contami- 
nated with  animal  filth  of  all  sorts.  An  enterpris- 
ing American  witnessed  this  primitive  process  not 
long  since,  and  on  returning  to  his  northern  home 
resolved  to  take  back  with  him  to  Mexico  a  mod- 
ern threshing  machine ;  and  being  more  desirous 
to  introduce  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  people  than 
to  make  any  money  out  of  the  operation,  he  offered 
the  machine  at  cost  price.  A  native  farmer  was 
induced  to  put  one  on  trial,  when  it  was  at  once 
found  that  it  not  only  took  the  place  of  a  dozen 
men  and  boys,  but  also  of  twice  that  number  of 
animals.  This  was  not  all ;  the  machine  performed 
the  work  in  less  than  one  quarter  of  the  time  re- 
quired to  do  the  same  amount  of  work  by  the  old 
method,  besides  rendering  the  grain  in  a  perfectly 
clear  condition.  This  would  seem  to  be  entirely 
satisfactory,  and  was  so  until  it  got  to  the  ears  of 
the  priests.  They  came  upon  the  ground  to  see  the 


INTOLERANT  SPIRIT.  39 

machine  work,  and  were  amazed.  This  would  not 
answer,  according  to  their  ideas  ;  from  their  stand- 
point it  was  a  dangerous  innovation.  What  might 
it  not  lead  to  !  They  therefore  declared  that  the 
devil  was  in  the  machine,  and  absolutely  forbade 
the  peons  to  work  with  it !  Their  threats  and 
warnings  frightened  their  ignorant,  servile  parish- 
ioners out  of  their  wits.  The  machine  was  accord- 
ingly shipped  north  of  the  Rio  Grande,  whence 
it  came,  to  prevent  the  natives  from  destroying  it, 
and  cattle  still  tread  out  the  grain,  which  they  ren- 
der dirty  and  unfit  for  food,  except  in  the  most 
populous  centres,  where  modern  machinery  is  being 
gradually  introduced. 

"  The  clogging  influence  of  the  Romish  Church," 
says  Hon.  John  H.  Rice,  "  upon  civilization  and 
progress  are  seen  in  its  opposition  to  the  education 
and  elevation  of  the  common  people ;  in  its  intol- 
erant warfare  against  freedom  of  conscience,  and 
all  other  forms  of  religious  worship,  frequently 
displayed  in  persecutions,  and  sometimes  in  per- 
sonal injuries;  and  in  its  stolid  opposition  to  the 
onward  march  of  development  and  improvement, 
unless  directed  to  its  own  advantage." 

The  stranger  who  comes  to  Mexico  with  the 
expectation  of  enjoying  his  visit  must  bring  with 
him  a  liberal  and  tolerant  spirit.  He  must  be 
prepared  to  encounter  a  marked  difference  of  race, 
of  social  and  business  life,  together  with  the  ab- 
sence of  many  of  such  domestic  comforts  as  habit 
has  rendered  almost  necessities.  The  exercise  of 
a  little  philosophy  will  reconcile  him  to  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  case,  and  render  endurable  here 


40  AZTEC  LAND. 

what  would  be  inadmissible  at  home.  A  coarse,  ill- 
cooked  dinner,  untidy  service,  and  an  unappeased 
appetite  must  be  compensated  by  active  interest 
in  grand  and  peculiar  scenery ;  a  hard  bed  and  a 
sleepless  night,  by  the  intelligent  enjoyment  of 
famous  places  clothed  with  historic  interest;  foul 
smells  and  rank  odors,  by  the  charming  study  of 
a  unique  people,  extraordinarily  interesting  in 
their  wretched  squalor  and  nakedness.  Though 
the  stranger  is  brought  but  little  in  contact  there- 
with, owing  to  the  briefness  of  his  visit  to  the  coun- 
try, quite  enough  is  casually  seen  and  experienced 
to  show  that  there  is  no  lack  of  culture  and  re- 
finement, no  absence  of  warmth  of  heart  and  gra- 
cious hospitality,  among  the  more  favored  classes 
of  Mexico,  both  in  the  northern  and  southern  sec- 
tions of  the  country.  Underneath  the  exaggerated 
expressions  so  common  to  Spanish  etiquette,  there 
is  yet  a  real  cordiality  which  the  discriminating 
visitor  will  not  fail  to  recognize.  If,  on  a  first 
introduction  and  visit,  he  is  told  that  the  house 
and  all  it  contains  is  his  own,  and  that  the  propri- 
etor is  entirely  at  his  service,  he  will  neither  take 
this  literally  nor  as  a  burlesque,  but  will  receive 
the  assurance  for  what  it  really  signifies,  that  is, 
as  conveying  a  spirit  of  cordiality.  These  expres- 
sions are  as  purely  conventional  as  though  the  host 
asked  simply  and  pleasantly  after  his  guest's  health, 
and  mean  no  more. 

If  progress  is  and  has  been  slow  in  Mexico,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  every  advance  has  been 
consummated  under  most  discouraging  circum- 
stances, and  yet  that  the  charitable,  educational, 


NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  41 

artistic,  and  technological  institutions  already 
firmly  established,  are  quietly  revolutionizing  the 
people  through  the  most  peaceful  but  effective 
agencies. 

As  to  government  organization,  the  several  states 
are  represented  in  congress  by  two  senators  each, 
with  one  representative  to  the  lower  house  from 
each  section  comprising  a  population  of  forty  thou- 
sand. The  federal  district  is  under  the  exclusive 
jurisdiction  of  congress.  The  division  of  power 
as  accorded  to  the  several  states  is  almost  precisely 
like  that  of  our  own  government.  The  federal 
authority  is  administered  by  a  president,  aided  by 
six  cabinet  ministers  at  the  head  of  the  several 
departments  of  state,  such  as  the  minister  of  for- 
eign affairs,  of  the  treasury,  secretary  of  war,  and 
so  on.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  republic  of 
Mexico  has  adopted  our  own  constitution  as  her 
model  throughout. 

As  long  as  heavy  and  almost  prohibitory  duties 
exist  in  Mexico,  and  are  exacted  on  nearly  every- 
thing except  the  production  of  the  precious  metals, 
the  development  of  her  other  resources  must  be 
circumscribed.  With  a  rich  soil  and  plenty  of 
cheap  labor,  she  ought  to  be  able  to  export  many 
staples  which  would  command  our  markets,  espe- 
cially as  regards  coffee,  cotton,  and  wool.  If  the 
custom-houses  on  each  side  of  the  boundary  be- 
tween this  country  and  Mexico  could  be  abolished, 
both  would  reap  an  immense  pecuniary  benefit, 
while  the  sister  republic  would  realize  an  impetus 
in  every  desirable  respect  which  nothing  else  could 
so  quickly  bring  about.  Wealth  and  population 


42  AZTEC  LAND. 

would  rapidly  flow  into  this  southern  land,  whose 
agriculture  would  thrive  as  it  has  never  yet  done, 
and  its  manufactories  would  double  in  number  as 
well  as  in  pecuniary  gain.  It  requires  no  argu- 
ment to  show  that  our  neighbors  could  not  be  thus 
largely  benefited  without  our  own  country  also 
reaping  an  equivalent  advantage. 

The  very  name  of  Mexico  has  been  for  years  the 
synonym  of  barbarism ;  but  the  traveled  and  read- 
ing public  have  gradually  come  to  realize  that  it 
is  a  country  embracing  many  large  and  populous 
cities,  where  the  amenities  of  modern  civilization 
abound,  where  elegance  and  culture  are  freely 
manifested,  and  where  great  wealth  has  been  ac- 
cumulated in  the  pursuit  of  legitimate  business  by 
the  leading  citizens.  The  national  capital  will  ere- 
long contain  a  population  of  half  a  million,  while 
the  many  new  and  costly  edifices  now  erecting  in 
the  immediate  environs  are  of  a  spacious  and  ele- 
gant character,  adapted,  of  course,  to  the  climate, 
but  yet  combining  many  European  and  American 
elements  of  advanced  domestic  architecture. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  Route  to  Mexico.  —  Via  the  Mammoth  Cave.  —  Across  the 
Rio  Grande.  —  A  Large  River.  —  Piedras  Negras.  —  Charac- 
teristic Scene. — A  Barren  Prairie  Land.  —  Castafio,  a  Native 
Village.  — Adobe  Cabins.  —  Indian  Irrigation.  —  Sparsely  Pop- 
ulated Country.  —  Interior  Haciendas.  —  Immigration.  —  City 
of  Saltillo.  —  Battle  of  Buena  Vista.  —  City  of  Monterey.  — 
The  Cacti  and  Yucca-Palm.  —  Capture  by  General  Taylor.  — 
Mexican  Central  Railroad. —  Jack-Rabbits. —  A  Dreary  Region. 
—  The  Mesquite  Bushes.  —  Lonely  Graves. 

ALTHOUGH  it  is  of  Mexico  exclusively  that  we 
propose  to  treat  in  these  pages,  still  the  reader 
may  naturally  feel  some  interest  to  know  the  route 
by  which  the  Rio  Grande  was  reached,  and  thus 
follow  our  course  somewhat  consecutively  from 
Boston  through  the  Middle  and  Southern  States 
to  the  borders  of  the  sister  republic.  The  road 
which  was  chosen  took  us  first  westward,  through 
the  Hoosac  Tunnel,  to  Niagara  Falls,  —  a  view  of 
which  one  cannot  too  often  enjoy ;  thence  south- 
ward via  Detroit  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio.  The  next 
point  of  special  interest  was  Louisville,  Ky.  That 
great  national  marvel,  the  Mammoth  Cave,  was 
visited,  which,  next  to  Niagara,  the  wonderland  of 
the  Yellowstone  Park,  and  the  grand  scenic  beauty 
of  the  Yosemite  Valley,  is  the  greatest  curiosity  of 
this  country.  The  vast  interior,  with  its  domes, 
abysses,  grottoes,  rivers,  and  cataracts  profitably 
entertain  the  visitor  for  hours.  It  is  said  that 


44  AZTEC  LAND. 

one  might  travel  a  hundred  miles  underground  if 
all  of  the  turnings  were  followed  to  their  termi- 
nations. Echo  River  alone  may  be  traversed  for 
three  quarters  of  a  mile  by  boat  in  a  straight  course. 
Much  might  be  written  about  the  cave,  but  our 
objective  point  is  Mexico. 

Resuming  our  journey,  and  keeping  still  south- 
ward, Nashville,  Tenn.,  Montgomery,  Ala.,  Mobile, 
and  New  Orleans  were  reached  respectively,  and 
on  schedule  time.  The  Crescent  City  is  the  great- 
est cotton  mart  in  the  world,  and  is  situated  about 
a  hundred  miles  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  within 
a  great  bend  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  hence 
its  title  of  the  "  Crescent  City."  It  has  over  a 
quarter  of  a  million  of  inhabitants.  Its  peculiar 
situation  makes  it  liable  to  floods  each  recurring 
spring.  Following  what  is  known  as  the  "  Sunset 
Route  "  westward,  we  passed  through  Texas  by  way 
of  Houston,  Galveston,  and  San  Antonio. 

A  few  hours  were  devoted  to  the  latter  place,  in 
order  to  see  the  famous  Alamo,  the  old  fort  which, 
in  1836,  the  Texans  so  gallantly  defended  while 
fighting  for  their  independence.  There  were  less 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  in  the  Alamo  when 
it  was  besieged  by  four  thousand  Mexican  troops 
under  Santa  Anna.  The  Mexicans  had  artillery, 
the  Texans  had  none.  They  were  summoned  to  sur- 
render, but  knowing  what  Mexican  "  mercy  "  meant, 
they  refused,  and  resolved  to  defend  themselves  to 
the  very  end.  The  siege  lasted  for  thirteen  days, 
during  which  Santa  Anna's  soldiers  threw  over  two 
hundred  shells  into  the  Alamo,  injuring  no  one. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  Texan  sharpshooters  picked 


TEXAN  INDEPENDENCE.  45 

off  a  great  number  of  the  Mexicans.  No  shots  were 
thrown  away.  If  a  gun  was  fired  from  the  Alamo, 
one  of  the  besiegers  was  sure  to  fall.  Santa  Anna 
made  several  assaults,  but  was  driven  back  each 
time  with  great  loss,  until,  it  is  represented,  he  be- 
come frenzied  by  his  want  of  success.  At  last,  on 
the  6th  of  May,  a  final  and  successful  assault  was 
made.  When  the  fort  was  captured,  every  Texan 
fell,  fighting  to  the  last.  To  be  exact,  there  were 
just  one  hundred  and  forty-four  men  inside  the 
fort  at  the  beginning  of  the  siege,  and  this  hand- 
ful of  men  either  killed  or  wounded  about  one  half 
of  the  besieging  force.  It  is  said  that  over  fifteen 
hundred  Mexicans  were  killed !  This  was  about 
seven  weeks  before  the  battle  of  San  Jacinto,  on 
which  occasion  General  Houston  captured,  with  a 
much  inferior  force,  the  entire  Mexican  army,  in- 
cluding Santa  Anna  himself,  who  was  running 
away  in  the  disguise  of  a  common  infantry  soldier. 
It  was  with  difficulty  that  his  life  was  saved  from 
the  just  fury  of  the  Texan  soldiers.  This  decisive 
battle  ended  the  war,  and  made  Texas  independent 
of  Mexico.  It  was  a  large  slice  to  cut  off  the  ter- 
ritory of  Mexico,  as  it  would  make,  so  far  as  size 
goes,  over  thirty  States  as  large  as  Massachusetts. 
It  contains  at  this  writing  about  two  million  in- 
habitants, and  the  value  of  its  taxable  property  is 
nearly  or  quite  eight  hundred  millions  of  dollars. 

Finally  we  reached  Eagle  Pass,  which  is  the 
American  town  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  Piedras  Negras  being  its  Mexican  neigh- 
bor on  the  other  side  of  the  shallow  river.  Previ- 
ous to  the  opening  of  the  Mexican  Central  Rail- 


46  AZTEC  LAND. 

road,  which  was  completed  March  8,  1884,  nine 
tenths  of  the  travelers  who  visited  the  country  en- 
tered it  from  the  south,  at  the  port  of  Vera  Cruz, 
journeying  northward  to  the  city  of  Mexico  by 
way  of  Orizaba  and  Puebla,  and  returning  by  the 
same  route ;  but  the  completion  and  perfection  of 
the  railroad  system  between  the  north  and  the 
south  has  changed  this.  Since  1888,  when  the  In- 
ternational Branch  Railroad  was  opened,  the  favor- 
ite plan  is  to  cross  the  border  from  the  north,  say 
at  Eagle  Pass ;  and  on  the  homeward  route,  after 
visiting  the  central  and  southern  portions  of  the 
republic,  to  recross  the  dividing  river  at  Paso  del 
Norte.  This  was  the  route  followed  by  the  author, 
the  Rio  Grande  being  crossed  at  the  international 
bridge,  and  Mexican  territory  entered  at  the  town 
of  Piedras  Negras  in  the  State  of  Coahuila,  a 
thriving  place  of  some  four  thousand  inhabitants. 

One  pauses  thoughtfully  for  a  moment  to  con- 
trast the  present  means  of  crossing  the  dividing 
river  with  the  primitive  rope  ferry  which  answered 
the  purpose  here  not  long  since.  A  little  flutter 
of  anticipation  also  moves  us  when  it  is  realize^ 
that  the  territory  of  another  country  is  reached, 
that  we  are  actually  on  a  foreign  soil,  where  a 
strange  tongue  is  spoken,  where  a  new  emblem 
floats  from  the  flagstaffs,  and  where  another  race 
possesses  the  land.  The  Rio  Grande,  which  we 
cross  at  this  point,  is  not  a  navigable  stream ;  in 
fact,  river  navigation  is  practically  unknown  in 
Mexico,  though  some  of  the  watercourses  are  of 
considerable  size.  The  Rio  Grande  has  a  total 
length  of  fifteen  hundred  miles,  rising  in  Colorado 


OVER   THE  BORDER.  47 

and  emptying  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  In  the 
rainy  season,  and  when  the  snow  melts  in  the 
mountains,  the  Rio  Grande  is  flooded  to  its  full 
capacity,  often  overflowing  its  banks  iii  marshy 
regions.  The  first  bridge  built  by  the  railway  com- 
pany at  this  point  was  of  wood,  which  was  swept 
away  like  chaff  by  the  next  flood  of  the  river.  The 
present  substantial  iron  structure  bids  fair  to  last 
for  many  years.  The  river,  such  as  it  is,  belongs 
to  the  two  nations,  the  boundary  agreed  upon  being 
the  middle  of  the  stream. 

As  we  drew  up  at  the  railroad  station,  a  lazy, 
listless,  bareheaded,  dark-skinned  crowd  of  men, 
women,  and  children  welcomed  us  with  staring 
eyes  to  Mexican  soil.  The  first  idea  which  strikes 
one  is  that  soap  and  fine-tooth  combs  are  not  yet 
in  use  on  the  south  side  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

Piedras  Negras  boasts  a  spacious  stone  hotel, 
two  stories  in  height,  which  is  quite  American  in 
appearance.  The  town  is  spread  over  so  broad 
an  area  as  to  have  the  effect  of  being  sparsely 
peopled,  but  it  is  thrifty  in  aspect  and  growing 
rapidly.  From  the  manner  in  which  scores  of  men 
wrapped  in  scarlet  blankets  and  mounted  on  little 
wiry  Mexican  horses  dashed  hither  and  thither, 
one  would  think  some  startling  event  was  to  tran- 
spire ;  but  this  was  not  the  case  —  all  was  peaceful 
and  quiet  in  Piedras  Negras. 

The  section  of  country  through  which  the  route 
first  takes  us  is  perhaps  one  of  the  least  interest- 
ing and  most  unproductive  in  the  republic,  with 
an  occasional  mud  hut  here  and  there,  and  a  few 
half-naked  peons.  What  a  dreary  region  it  is! 


48  AZTEC  LAND. 

What  emptiness!  How  bare  the  serrated  moun- 
tains, how  inhospitable  the  scenery,  how  brown, 
baked,  and  dusty!  At  the  International  Bridge 
we  are  about  seven  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 
Here  we  take  the  International  Railway,  and  from 
this  point  to  Jaral,  a  distance  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  almost  due  south,  the  cars  are  constantly 
climbing  an  up-grade  until  the  great  Mexican  pla- 
teau is  finally  reached.  It  should  be  remembered, 
however,  that  this  vast  table-land,  covering  nearly 
three  quarters  of  the  republic,  is  by  no  means 
level,  but  is  interspersed  with  hills,  valleys,  gulches, 
canyons,  and  mountains  of  the  loftiest  character, 
in  many  places  duplicating  our  Rocky  Mountain 
scenery  both  in  height  and  grandeur. 

A  stop  of  a  few  hours  was  made  at  the  quaint 
little  adobe-built  town  —  cabins  formed  of  sun-dried 
bricks  —  known  by  the  name  of  Castauo,  situated 
on  the  trunk  line  of  the  Mexican  Centi'al  road, 
near  the  city  of  Monclova,  which  is  a  considerable 
mining  centre.  This  small  native  village  is  the 
first  typical  object  of  the  sort  which  greets  the 
traveler  who  enters  the  country  from  the  north. 
It  lies  in  a  nearly  level  valley  between  the  two 
spurs  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  where  beautiful  green 
fields  delight  the  eye,  where  fruit  trees  are  in  gor- 
geous bloom,  and  where  wild  flowers  add  a  charm 
in  the  very  midst  of  cheerless,  arid  surroundings. 
This  inviting  and  thrifty  aspect  is  produced  en- 
tirely by  the  hoe  in  the  hands  of  the  simple,  in- 
dustrious natives,  with  no  other  aid  than  that 
of  water.  The  peons  are  most  efficient  though 
unconscious  engineers,  diverting  a  supply  of  water 


NATIVE  CABINS.  49 

from  the  distant  mountain  streams  with  marvelous 
ingenuity  and  success.  No  practical  operator,  with 
every  modern  appliance  and  the  most  delicate  in- 
struments, could  strike  more  correct  levels  than  do 
these  natives  with  the  eye  and  the  hoe  alone. 
Upon  entering  one  of  the  adobe  cabins  at  the  ever- 
open  door,  —  there  are  no  windows,  —  we  found 
the  flat  roof  to  be  slightly  slanted  to  throw  off 
the  rain,  having  four  or  five  wooden  beams  upon 
which  a  few  boards  and  rough  sticks  were  nailed. 
On  the  top  of  these  a  foot  or  more  of  earth  is  de- 
posited. This  primitive  covering  Nature  enamels 
with  moss  and  dainty  wild  flowers.  But  this  rep- 
resents the  better  class  of  cabin,  the  majority  hav- 
ing only  a  thatched  covering  supported  by  small 
branches  of  trees  trimmed  for  the  purpose,  over 
which  are  placed  dried  banana  and  maguey  leaves. 
Some  of  the  floors  had  stone  tiles,  but  most  of 
them  consisted  of  the  uncovered  earth.  These 
last  must  be  wretchedly  unwholesome  in  the  brief 
rainy  season.  Swarthy,  unclad  children  were  as 
numerous  and  active  as  young  chickens.  In  -more 
than  one  of  the  cabins,  dark-hued  native  women, 
wearing  only  a  cotton  cloth  wound  around  the 
lower  part  of  their  bodies  from  the  middle,  and 
a  short  cotton  waist  over  the  shoulders  without 
sleeves,  knelt  upon  the  ground  kneading  tortillas 
between  a  flat,  inclined  stone  and  a  long,  narrow 
one,  just  as  their  ancestors  had  done  for  centuries. 
Indeed,  all  through  Mexico  one  is  surprised  to 
see  how  little  change  has  probably  taken  place 
in  the  features  of  the  people,  their  manner  of 
living,  their  dress  and  customs,  since  the  days  of 


50  AZTEC  LAND. 

the  Montezumas.  The  traveler  is  struck  with  the 
strong  resemblance  of  Castano  to  an  Egyptian  vil- 
lage. One  sees  its  counterpart  almost  anywhere 
between  Cairo  and  the  first  cataract  on  the  Nile. 
Clouds  of  black,  long-tailed  jackdaws  flew  over 
our  heads  and  settled  abruptly  here  and  there. 
Goats  and  donkeys  dispute  the  dusty  roadway  with 
the  curious  stranger,  while  women,  with  babies 
hanging  upon  their  backs,  half  concealed  their 
dark-brown  faces  in  red  or  light  blue  rebosas,  and 
peered  at  us  with  eyes  of  wonderful  blackness  and 
fire.  The  rebosa,  the  universal  garment  of  the 
common  class  of  women  in  Mexico,  is  utilized  as  a 
carry-all  for  baby  or  bundles.  It  is  worn  over  the 
head  and  shoulders  in  the  daytime,  when  not 
otherwise  in  use,  and  at  night  is  the  one  blanket  or 
covering  while  the  owner  is  asleep.  The  donkey, 
or  burro,  as  it  is  called,  is  to  be  seen  eveiywhere  in 
this  country.  Poor,  overburdened,  beaten,  patient 
animal !  How  so  small  a  creature  can  possibly 
carry  such  heavy  loads  is  a  constant  puzzle.  AVhen 
its  full  strength  would  seem  to  be  taxed,  the  lazy 
owner  often  adds  his  own  weight  by  bestriding  the 
animal,  sitting  far  back  upon  its  hips.  Before  the 
coming  of  the  Spaniards  there  were  no  beasts  of 
burden  in  Mexico  ;  everything  that  required  trans- 
portation was  moved  by  human  muscles.  It  was 
not  until  the  eighteenth  century  that  the  jackass 
was  introduced ;  cattle,  sheep,  horses,  and  hogs 
long  preceded  them. 

liain  falls  at  Castano  only  for  three  weeks,  or  so, 
during  the  year,  about  the  early  part  of  May  ;  the 
dust  is  consequently  very  deep  and  fills  the  air  at 


BIRDS,  FLOWERS,  AND  MUSIC.  51 

the  slightest  atmospheric  movement.  The  general 
view  is  broken  now  and  again  by  the  Spanish  bay- 
onet tree,  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  height,  and  by 
broad  clusters  of  grotesque  cactus  plants,  which 
thrive  so  wonderfully  in  spite  of  drought,  hanging 
like  vines  along  the  base  of  the  adobe  cabins  and 
creeping  up  their  low  sides,  the  leaves  edged  here 
and  there  by  a  dainty  ruffle  of  scentless  yellow 
flowers.  Beside  a  very  lowly  mud  cabin  was  a  tall 
oleander,  branches  and  leaves  hidden  in  gorgeous 
bloom,  imparting  a  cheerful,  joyous  aspect  even 
amid  all  this  squalor  and  poverty.  Close  at  hand 
upon  the  adobe  wall  hung  a  willow  cage  imprison- 
ing a  tropical  bird  of  gaudy  plumage ;  but  the 
feathered  beauty  did  not  seem  to  have  any  spare 
notes  with  which  to  greet  us.  From  another  cabin 
came  the  pleasant  sound  of  a  guitar,  accompanied 
by  a  human  voice.  So  this  people  love  birds,  flow- 
ers, and  music.  The  half-effaced  image  of  God 
must  be  still  upon  their  hearts !  The  little  town 
has  four  or  five  broad,  unpaved  streets,  and  is  as 
primitive  as  nature  herself  in  all  its  domestic  sur- 
roundings. 

Except  on  the  immediate  line  of  the  railways, 
one  may  travel  thirty  or  forty  miles  in  almost  any 
part  of  Mexico  without  seeing  a  dwelling-house. 
The  people  live  mostly  in  towns  and  cities,  and 
are  very  little  dispersed  over  the  country,  that  is, 
compared  with  our  own  land.  Occasional  hacien- 
das or  large  farm-houses,  built  of  adobe  and  stone, 
are  seen  ;  but  isolated  dwellings  are  not  common. 
On  these  estates  there  is  usually  less  farming  or 
raising  of  cereals  carried  011  than  there  is  of  stock 


52  AZTEC  LAND. 

raising,  which  seems  to  pay  better.  Large  droves 
of  cattle  are  seen  grazing,  sheep,  burros,  and 
mules  roam  at  large,  and  all  seem  to  be  getting 
food  from  most  unpromising  land,  such  as  pro- 
duces in  its  normal  condition  cactus  only.  It  is 
the  true  climate  and  soil  for  this  species  of  vege- 
tation, of  which  there  are  hundreds  of  varieties, 
flat,  ribbed,  and  cylindrical.  No  matter  how  dry 
and  arid  the  region,  the  cacti  thrive,  and  are  them- 
selves full  of  moisture.  Even  these  haciendas, 
rectangular  structures  forming  the  headquarters 
of  large  landed  estates,  are  semi-fortifications,  capa- 
ble of  a  stout  defense  against  roving  banditti,  who 
have  long  been  the  dread  and  curse  of  the  coun- 
try and  are  not  yet  obliterated.  These  structures 
are  sometimes  surrounded  by  a  moat,  the  angles 
being  protected  by  turrets  pierced  for  musketry. 
As  in  continental  Spain,  the  population  live  mostly 
in  villages  for  mutual  protection,  being  compelled 
to  walk  long  distances  to  work  in  the  fields  at  seed 
time  and  harvest.  The  owners  of  the  large  haci- 
endas, we  were  told,  seldom  live  upon  them.  Like 
the  landlords  of  Ireland,  they  are  a  body  of  ab- 
sentees, mostly  wealthy  men  who  make  their  homes 
with  their  families  in  the  city  of  Mexico,  some 
even  living  in  Europe,  entrusting  the  management 
of  their  large  estates  to  well-paid  superintendents. 
There  are  not  a  few  Americans  thus  employed  by 
Mexican  owners,  who  are  prompt  to  recognize 
good  executive  ability  in  such  a  position,  and  value 
their  estates  only  for  the  amount  of  income  they 
can  realize  from  them.  A  hacienda  ten  or  fifteen 
miles  square  is  not  considered  extraordinary  as  to 


IMMIGRANTS.  53 

size,  and  there  are  many  twice  as  large.  The  pro- 
prietorship of  these  haciendas  dates  back  to  the 
old  Spanish  times  when  Mexico  was  under  the  vice- 
roys. Little  can  be  hoped  for  as  to  improvement 
in  the  condition  of  the  poor  peons  of  the  country, 
until  these  immense  estates  are  broken  up  and 
divided  into  small  available  farms,  which  may  be 
owned  and  operated  by  them  for  their  sole  benefit. 
No  lesson  is  more  clearly  or  forcibly  taught  us  by 
the  light  of  experience  than  that  the  ownership 
of  the  soil  by  its  cultivator  is  the  only  way  to  in- 
sure successful  and  profitable  agriculture.  There 
is  nothing  to  induce  emigration  to  Mexico  now. 
Foreigners  prefer  to  seek  a  country  where  they  can 
purchase  the  land  cheaply,  and,  when  they  have 
improved  it,  be  certain  that  their  title  is  good  and 
secure.  At  present  there  is  virtually  no  immigra- 
tion at  all  into  the  republic,  though  the  climate  in 
many  places  is  perhaps  the  most  desirable  known 
to  man.  The  Mexican  government  not  long  since 
made  an  effort  to  encourage  immigration,  offering 
a  bonus  of  fifty  dollars  a  head  for  bo?ia  fide  immi- 
grants, and  even  partial  support  until  occupation 
was  secured.  Many  Italians  availed  themselves 
of  this  offer  ;  but  it  was  found  that  the  criminal 
class  was  too  largely  represented  in  the  ranks  of 
these  immigrants,  and  other  abuses  became  so 
manifest  that  the  government  abandoned  the  pur- 
pose. 

In  passing  through  the  country,  one  wearies  of 
the  long  reaches  of  brown,  arid  soil  which  would 
seem  to  be  be)Tond  the  redeeming  power  even 
of  irrigation.  Occasionally  the  scene  is  varied 


54  AZTEC  LAND. 

by  a  few  yucca  palms  dotting  the  prairies  at  long 
intervals.  Now  and  again  a  small  herd  of  an- 
telope dashed  away  from  our  neighborhood,  and 
an  occasional  flock  of  wild  turkeys  were  flushed 
from  the  low-growing  bushes.  These  were  exciting 
moments  for  one  member  of  our  party,  who  is  a 
keen  sportsman.  At  long  distances  from  each  other 
small  groups  of  the  pear-cactus,  full  of  deep  yellow 
bloom,  lighted  up  the  barren  waste.  Here  and 
there  a  simple  wooden  cross  indicated  a  grave,  the 
burial  place  of  some  lone  traveler  who  had  been 
murdered  and  robbed  by  banditti,  and  over  whose 
body  a  Christian  hand  had  reared  this  unpreten- 
tious emblem.  As  we  got  further  and  further 
southward,  the  graceful  pepper  tree,  with  myriads 
of  red  fruit,  began  to  appear,  and  afterwards  be- 
came a  prominent  feature  of  the  scenery. 

Saltillo,  which  lies  some  seventy  miles  to  the 
eastward  of  Jaral,  is  now  the  capital  of  the  State 
of  Cohahuila.  Before  the  separation  of  Texas 
from  Mexico  it  was  the  capital  of  that  State.  It 
is  situated  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
on  the  northeastern  edge  of  the-  table-land  already 
spoken  of,  and  has  a  population  of  about  eighteen 
thousand.  The  table-land,  as  it  is  termed,  declines 
more  or  less  abruptly  on  the  east  towards  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico,  and  on  the  west  towards  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  Saltillo  is  a  manufacturing  town,  built 
almost  wholly  of  sun-dried  bricks,  and  is  noted  for 
the  production  of  rebosas  and  scrapes.  The  peo- 
ple living  south  of  this  region  and  on  the  lower 
lands  make  of  Saltillo  a  summer  resort.  It  is 
humorously  said  that  people  never  die  here ;  they 


BATTLE  OF  BUENA  VISTA.  55 

grow  old,  dry  up,  and  disappear.  The  place  is 
certainly  very  healthy.  It  is  over  three  hundred 
years  old,  and  looks  as  though  it  had  existed  in 
prehistoric  times.  It  has,  like  all  Mexican  cities, 
its  alameda,  its  bull  ring,  and  its  plaza,  the  latter 
particularly  well-cared  for,  beautiful  in  flowers  and 
charming  shade  trees,  together  with  well-trimmed 
shrubbery.  The  Calle  Real  is  the  principal  thor- 
oughfare, over  which  the  traveler  will  find  his  way 
to  the  famous  battlefield  of  Buena  Vista  (pro- 
nounced Wana  Veesta),  about  eight  miles  from 
the  city  proper.  This  was  one  of  the  fiercest  bat- 
tles ever  fought  on  Mexican  soil.  General  Taylor 
had  only  forty-five  hundred  men  of  all  arms,  while 
Santa  Anna's  army  numbered  twenty-two  thou- 
sand !  The  Americans  had  the  most  advanta- 
geous position,  but  were  at  times  overwhelmed 
by  numbers.  Notwithstanding  this,  at  the  end  of 
the  second  day,  February  23,  1847,  the  American 
flag  waved  in  triumph  over  the  field,  and  the 
Mexicans  were  utterly  routed.  It  was  of  this 
hard-fought  battle  that  Santa  Anna  said :  "  We 
whipped  the  Americans  half  a  dozen  times,  and 
once  completely  surrounded  them  ;  but  they  would 
not  stay  whipped."  The  battle  of  Buena  Vista 
was  fought  at  a  great  altitude,  nearly  as  high 
above  the  level  of  the  sea  as  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington  in  New  England. 

The  baths  of  San  Lorenzo,  a  league  from  the 
city,  are  worth  visiting,  being  cleanly  and  enjoy- 
able. 

About  seventy-five  miles  to  the  eastward  of  Sal- 
tillo,  and  eight  hundred  miles,  more  or  less,  from 


56  AZTEC  LAND. 

the  national  capital,  on  the  line  of  the  Mexican 
International  Railroad,  which  crosses  the  Rio 
Grande  at  Laredo,  is  the  city  of  Monterey,  — 
"  King  Mountain,"  • —  capital  of  the  State  of  Nu- 
evo  Leon.  It  is  eighteen  hundred  feet  above  the 
sea  and  contains  nearly  twenty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants. It  was  founded  three  hundred  years  ago, 
and  its  history  is  especially  blended  with  that  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  during  the  interven- 
ing period.  Here  one  finds  quite  a  large  Ameri- 
can colony  ;  but  still  the  place  is  essentially  Mexi- 
can in  its  manners  and  customs.  The  city  stands 
upon  very  uneven  ground,  in  the  middle  of  an  ex- 
tensive plain,  with  grand  mountains  rising  to  view 
in  the  distance  on  all  sides.  The  Rio  de  Santa 
Catarina  flows  through  the  town.  In  coming 
hither  from  Saltillo  we  descend  thirty-five  hun- 
dred feet,  or  about  an  average  of  fifty  feet  to  the 
mile.  It  is  considered  to  be  a  healthy  locality, 
and  invalids  from  the  Northern  States  of  this 
country  have  often  resorted  to  Monterey  in  win- 
ter ;  but  the  public  accommodations  are  so  poor 
that  one  should  hesitate  about  sending  an  invalid 
there  who  must  necessarily  leave  most  of  the  ordi- 
nary domestic  comforts  behind.  Mexican  hotels 
may  answer  for  people  in  vigorous  health  who  have 
robust  stomachs,  but  not  for  one  in  delicate  health. 
In  no  other  part  of  the  country  is  there  a  greater 
variety  of  the  cactus  family  to  be  seen,  illustrating 
its  prominent  peculiarity,  namely,  that  it  seems  to 
grow  best  in  the  poorest  soil.  Several  of  the  varie- 
ties have  within  their  flowers  a  mass  of  edible  sub- 
stance, which  the  natives  gather  and  bring  to  mar- 


CITY  OF  MONTEREY.  57 

ket  daily.  The  flowers  of  the  cactus  are  of  various 
colors,  white  and  yellow  being  the  prevailing  hues. 
There  is  a  very  highly  prized  and  remarkable 
water  supply  afforded  the  citizens  by  an  inex- 
haustible spring,  situated  in  the  heart  of  the 
town,  known  as  the  Ojo  de  Agua.  The  cathedral 
is  interesting,  though  it  is  not  nearly  so  old  as  the 
Church  of  San  Francisco.  It  was  converted  into 
a  powder  magazine  during  the  war  with  this  coun- 
try. When  General  Taylor  attacked  the  city,  its 
remarkably  thick  walls  alone  saved  it  from  being 
blown  up,  as  it  was  repeatedly  struck  by  shot  and 
shell.  Monterey  is  a  finer  and  better  built  city 
than  Saltillo.  No  stranger  should  fail  to  visit  the 
curious  Campo  Santo,  a  burial  place  lying  to  the 
northwest  of  the  city,  and  reached  by  the  way  of 
the  alameda,  which  latter  thoroughfare  is  hardly 
worthy  of  the  name.  The  few  notable  buildings 
in  the  city  are  the  municipal  palace,  the  state  gov- 
ernment edifice,  and  the  episcopal  palace  near  the 
cathedral.  All  are  situated  about  the  Plaza  Mayor, 
or  Plaza  de  Zaragoza  as  it  is  called  by  the  people 
here.  A  graceful  fountain  with  spouting  dolphins 
occupies  the  centre,  supplemented  by  two  lesser 
fountains,  all  very  appropriate  and  artistic.  Of 
the  two  confiscated  convents,  one  is  occupied  for 
a  jail,  the  other  as  a  hospital.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  General  Taylor,  with  less  than  seven 
thousand  men,  took  the  city  by  storm  in  1846,  after 
three  days  of  hard  fighting,  it  being  gallantly  de- 
fended by  ten  thousand  Mexicans  under  command 
of  General  Ampudia.  General  Worth,  who  on 
two  occasions  led  desperate  storming  parties,  was 


58  AZTEC  LAND. 

pronounced  the  hero  of  the  occasion.  General 
Grant,  then  only  a  lieutenant  of  infantry,  distin- 
guished himself  in  the  taking  of  what  was  known 
as  the  Bishop's  Palace,  but  which  was  in  fact  a 
citadel.  The  Americans  carried  the  citadel  by 
assault,  and,  planting  their  guns  in  position  upon 
its  wall,  commanded  the  city,  which  was  forced  to 
surrender.  The  fighting  lasted  four  days.  The 
Americans  lost  in  killed  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
six,  and  had  three  hundred  and  sixty-three 
wounded.  The  Mexicans  lost  five  hundred  killed, 
but  the  number  of  wounded  was  not  made  public. 
In  recognition  of  the  gallant  defense  made  by  the 
Mexicans,  Taylor  allowed  them  to  retain  their 
arms  and  equipments,  and  when  they  evacuated 
the  city  to  salute  their  own  colors. 

Resuming  our  course  westward  by  the  way  of 
Jaral,  and  having  arrived  at  Torreon  Junction,  a 
distance  of  about  three  hundred  and  eighty  miles 
from  the  International  Bridge,  connection  is  made 
with  the  grand  trunk  line  of  the  Mexican  Central 
Railroad,  which  will  take  us  direct  to  the  national 
capital.  This  important  road  extends  from  Juarez 
(formerly  Paso  del  Norte),  on  the  Rio  Grande, 
to  the  city  of  Mexico,  a  distance  of  over  twelve 
hundred  miles.  It  is  a  standard-gttage  road,  well 
built  and  well  equipped,  —  the  growth,  in  fact,  of 
American  enterprise,  and  really  nothing  more  or 
less  than  an  extension  of  the  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
system.  Track-laying  began  upon  this  road  from 
both  ends  of  the  line  in  September,  1880,  that  is, 
from  the  city  of  Mexico  and  from  the  Rio  Grande 
at  Juarez,  and  upon  the  completion  of  the  bridge 


CACTI.  59 

at  La  Encarnation,  the  north  and  south  tracks 
met,  March  8, 1884.  The  line  was  formally  opened 
on  April  10  following. 

From  this  point  southward,  towards  the  moun- 
tain city  of  Zacatecas,  we  pass  through  a  most  un- 
inviting country,  where  the  mesquite  bush  and  the 
cactus  mostly  prevail,  a  region  so  bereft  of  mois- 
ture as  to  seem  like  the  desert  of  Sahara.  Here 
again  the  cactus  is  seen  in  great  abundance.  As 
we  have  intimated,  there  are  several  hundred  vari- 
eties known  to  botanists,  most  of  which  can  be 
identified  on  Mexican  soil,  this  being  their  native 
climate.  No  matter  how  dry  the  season,  they  are 
always  juicy.  It  is  said  that  when  cattle  can  get 
no  water  to  drink,  they  will  break  down  the  cacti 
with  their  horns  and  chew  the  thick  leaves  and 
stalks  to  quench  their  thirst.  The  variety  of  shapes 
assumed  by  this  peciiliar  growth  almost  exceeds 
belief ;  some  seen  in  Mexico  assumed  the  form  of 
trees  from  forty  to  fifty  feet  in  height,  while  others, 
vinelike,  run  along  the  ground  bearing  leaves  as 
round  as  cannon  balls.  Another  variety,  closely 
hugging  the  earth,  twists  about  like  a  vegetable 
serpent.  The  great  marvel  relating  to  this  plant 
has  been,  how  it  could  keep  alive  and  remain  full 
of  sap  and  moisture  when  other  neighboring  vege- 
tation was  killed  by  drought.  But  this  is  easily 
explained.  It  is  protected  by  a  thick  epidermis 
which  prevents  evaporation,  so  that  the  store  of 
moisture  which  it  absorbs  during  the  wet  season  is 
retained  within  its  circulation.  One  sort  of  the  cac- 
tus known  as  the  cereus  grandiflorus  blooms  only 
in  the  night ;  the  frail  flower  it  bears  dies  at  the 


60  AZTEC  LAND. 

coming  of  morning.  The  cochineal  insect  of  Mex- 
ico and  Central  America  is  solely  nurtured  by  the 
native  growth  of  cacti.  The  yucca  palm,  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  in  height,  with  its  large  milk-white 
cluster  of  blossoms,  resembling  huge  crocuses,  dot- 
ted the  expanse  here  and  there.  Occasional  flocks 
of  sheep  were  seen  striving  to  gain  a  sufficiency 
of  food  from  the  unwilling  soil,  while  tended  by 
a  shepherd  clothed  in  brilliant  colored  rags,  ac- 
companied by  a  dog.  Now  and  then  scores  of  jack- 
rabbits  put  in  an  appearance  among  the  low-growing 
mesquite  bushes  and  the  thick-leaved  cactus.  These 
little  animals  are  called  jack-rabbits  because  their 
tall,  straight  ears  resemble  those  of  the  burros  or 
jackasses.  The  mesquite  bushes,  so  often  seen  011 
the  Mexican  plains,  belong  to  the  acacia  family. 
They  yield  a  sweet  edible  pulp,  used  to  some  ex- 
tent as  food  by  the  poorer  classes  of  natives  and  by 
the  jack-rabbits.  The  burros  eat  the  small,  tender 
twigs.  Indeed,  they  will  apparently  eat  anything 
but  stones.  We  have  seen  them  munching  plain 
straw  with  infinite  relish,  in  which  it  seemed  impos- 
sible there  could  be  any  nutrition  whatever.  This 
is  a  far-reaching,  dreary  region,  almost  uninhabi- 
table for  human  beings,  and  where  water  is  unat- 
tainable three-quarters  of  the  year.  The  broad 
prairie  extends  on  either  side  of  the  railroad  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach,  ending  at  the  foot-hills 
of  the  Sierra  Madre  —  "  Mother  Mountains." 
Here  and  there,  as  already  instanced,  the  burial 
place  of  some  murdered  individual  is  indicated 
by  a  cross,  before  which  the  pious  peon  breathes 
a  prayer  and  adds  a  stone  to  the  pile,  so  that 


JACK  RABBITS.  61 

finally  quite  a  mound  is  raised  to  mark  the  mur- 
dered man's  grave.  Towards  the  twilight  hour, 
while  we  rejoice  that  our  lot  has  not  been  cast  in 
such  a  dreary  place,  more  than  one  hawk  is  seen 
to  swoop  from  its  lofty  course  and  fly  away  with 
a  young  rabbit  which  it  will  eventually  drop  and 
thus  kill  before  it  begins  to  devour  the  carcase. 
Thus  animals,  like  human  beings,  constantly  prey 
upon  each  other.  So  prolific  are  these  rabbits  that 
they  will  soon  prove  to  be  as  great  a  nuisance  as 
they  are  in  New  Zealand,  unless  some  active  means 
are  taken  to  prevent  their  increase.  The  wonder 
is  that  the  half-starved  natives  do  not  make  a 
business  of  trapping  and  eating  them ;  but  the 
poor,  ignorant  peons  seem  to  be  actually  devoid 
of  all  ingenuity  or  enterprise  outside  of  their 
beaten  track. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Zacatecas.  —  Sand-Spouts.  —  Fertile  Lands.  —  A  Silver  Mining 
Region.  —  Alpine  Scenery.  —  Table-Land  of  Mexico.  —  An 
Aged  Miner.  —  Zacatecas  Cathedral.  —  Church  and  People.  — 
A  Mountain  Climb.  —  Ownership  of  the  Mines.  —  Want  of 
Drainage.  —  A  Battlefield. —  Civil  War.  —  Local  Market. — 
Peculiar  Scenes.  —  Native  Beauties.  —  City  Tramway  Expe- 
rience. —  Town  of  Guadalupe.  —  Organized  Beggars.  —  A 
Noble  and  Successful  Institution.  —  Market  of  Guadalupe. 
—  Attractive  Seuoritas.  —  Private  Gardens. 

THE  first  place  of  special  interest  on  the  line  of 
the  Mexican  Central  Railroad  after  leaving  Tor- 
reon  is  Zacatecas,  the  largest  town  between  the  Rio 
Grande  and  the  city  of  Mexico,  being  nearly  eight 
hundred  miles  south  of  the  river  and  four  hundred 
and  forty  north  of  the  capital.  Its  name  is  derived 
from  the  Indian  tribe  who  inhabited  this  region 
long  befoi-e  the  coming  of  the  Spaniards.  Between 
Torreon  and  this  city,  for  a  distance  of  some  three 
hundred  miles,  as  we  have  described,  the  country 
is  lonely,  prairie-like,  and  almost  uninhabited,  form- 
ing a  broad  plain  over  a  hundred  miles  wide,  with 
ranges  of  the  Sierra  Mad  re  on  either  side.  On 
these  dry  and  sterile  plains  sand-spouts  are  fre- 
quently seen  ;  indeed,  half  a  dozen  were  counted 
at  the  same  time  from  the  car  windows.  These  are 
created  just  as  water-spouts  are  formed  on  the 
ocean,  and  to  encounter  one  is  almost  equally  seri- 
ous. One  must  visit  either  Egypt  or  Mexico  to 


PUBLIC  TEANSPOETATION.  63 

witness  this  singular  phenomenon.  As  Zacatecas 
is  approached,  large  flocks  of  sheep  and  herds  of 
mules  and  horses  are  grouped  in  the  fields,  over- 
looked by  picturesquely  draped  horsemen.  The 
cultivation  of  the  land  and  its  apparent  fertility 
improve,  and  many  one-handled  ploughs,  consist- 
ins:  of  a  crooked  stick,  sometimes  shod  with  iron, 

O  7  7 

are  being  used.  The  marvel  is  that  anything  satis- 
factory can  be  accomplished  with  such  an  awkward 
instrument,  and  yet  these  fields  in  some  instances 
show  grand  results. 

"We  expressed  surprise  to  an  intelligent  citizen 
at  seeing  long  lines  of  burros  laden  with  freight 
beside  the  railroad,  and  going  in  the  same  direc- 
tion, remarking  to  him  that  the  railway  ought  to 
be  able  to  compete  with  the  jackasses.  "  You 
must  take  into  consideration,"  said  our  inform- 
ant, "  that  a  man  who  owns  a  score  of  these  cheap 
animals  can  himself  drive  them  all  to  market  or 
any  given  point.  His  time  he  counts  as  nothing ; 
his  burros  feed  beside  the  way,  and  their  suste- 
nance costs  him  nothing.  Wages  average  through- 
out the  country  something  less  than  thirty  cents 
per  clay,  and  the  cost  of  living  among  the  peons  is 
proportionately  low.  A  railway  is  an  expensive 
system  to  support,  and  must  charge  accordingly ; 
consequently  the  burros,  as  a  means  of  transpor- 
tation for  a  certain  class  of  goods,  are  quite  able 
to  compete  with  the  locomotive  and  the  rail."  Of 
course,  as  other  avenues  for  remunerative  employ- 
ment are  opened  to  the  common  people,  this  anti- 
quated style  of  transportation  will  gradually  go  out 
of  use,  and  the  locomotive  will  take  the  goods 


64  AZTEC  LAND. 

which  are  now  carried  by  these  patient  and  eco- 
nomical animals. 

Zacatecas  is  the  capital  of  the  state  of  the  same 
name,  and  has  a  population  of  nearly  fifty  thou- 
sand. This  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  produc- 
tive silver  mining  regions  in  Mexico.  The  town 
seems  actually  to  be  built  on  a  huge  vein  of  silver, 
which  has  been  penetrated  in  scores  of  places. 
Eight  or  ten  miles  below  the  city  the  cars  begin 
to  climb  laboriously  a  grade  of  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  feet  to  the  mile,  presenting  some  of 
the  most  abrupt  curves  we  have  ever  seen  in  a 
railway  track.  Here  we  are  in  the  midst  of  Rocky 
Mountain  scenery.  One  can  easily  imagine  him- 
self on  the  Northern  or  Canadian  Pacific  road, 
among  their  giant  peaks,  hazardous  roadbeds,  and 
narrow  defiles.  The  huge  engine  pants  and  trem- 
bles like  an  animal,  in  its  struggle  to  drag  the 
long  train  up  the  incline  and  around  the  sharp 
bends,  until  finally  the  summit  is  reached.  To 
mount  this  remarkable  grade  a  double  engine  has 
been  specially  built,  having  two  sets  of  driving 
wheels  ;  but  it  is  often  necessary  to  stop  for  a  few 
moments  to  generate  sufficient  steam  to  overcome 
the  resistance  of  the  steep  grade. 

Here  we  are  on  the  great  table-land  of  the  coun- 
try, about  eight  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea,  in  a  narrow  valley  surrounded  by  groups  of 
hills  all  teeming  with  the  precious  ore.  These  rich 
mines  of  Zacatecas  have  been  worked  with  little 
intermission  for  over  three  hundred  years,  and  are 
considered  to  be  inexhaustible.  "  There  is  a  native 
laborer,"  said  an  intelligent  superintendent  to  us, 


PUBLIC  BUILDINGS.  65 

"  who  is  over  seventy  years  old,"  pointing  out  a 
hale  and  hearty  Indian.  "  He  entered  the  mines  at 
about  ten  years  of  age,  so  he  has  seen  sixty  years 
of  mining  life,  and  he  may  be  good  for  ten  years 
more."  These  men  constantly  climb  the  steep 
ladders,  bearing  heavy  loads  of  ore  upon  their 
backs,  for  which  hard  labor  they  are  paid  about 
thirty-five  or  forty  cents  a  day.  The  most  pro- 
ductive districts,  as  relates  to  mineral  products, 
especially  of  silver,  lie  in  the  northern  part  of  the 
republic,  but  metalliferous  deposits  are  found  in 
every  state  of  the  confederation. 

There  are  a  number  of  important  edifices  in 
the  city,  among  which  is  the  municipal  palace, 
the  cathedral,  and  the  mint.  The  courtyard  of  the 
first-named  forms  a  lovely  picture,  with  its  gar- 
den of  fragrant  flowers,  tropical  trees,  and  deli- 
cate columns  supporting  a  veranda  half  hidden 
with  creeping  vines.  Both  the  interior  and  ex- 
terior of  the  cathedral  are  extremely  interesting 
and  worthy  of  careful  study,  though  one  cannot 
but  remember  how  much  of  the  wages  of  the  poor 
populace  has  been  cunningly  diverted  from  their 
family  support  to  supply  this  useless  ornamenta- 
tion. For  this  object  indulgences  are  sold  to  the 
rich,  and  the  poor  peons  are  made  to  believe  their 
future  salvation  depends  upon  their  liberal  con- 
tributions to  support  empty  forms  and  extrava- 
gance. In  his  "  Through  the  Heart  of  Mexico," 
lately  published,  Rev.  J.  N.  McCarty,  D.  D.,  says  : 
"If  ever  any  people  on  earth  were  stripped  of 
their  clothing  and  starved  to  array  the  priesthood 
in  rich  and  gaudy  apparel,  and  to  furnish  them 


66  AZTEC  LAND. 

the  fat  of  the  land,  these  poor  Mexicans  are  the 
people.  Where  the  churches  are  the  richest  and 
most  numerous,  as  a  rule  the  people  are  the  poor- 
est. Their  earnings  have  gone  to  the  church, 
leaving  them  only  rags,  huts,  and  the  cheapest  and 
coarsest  of  food." 

An  ancient  stone  aqueduct  supplies  the  town 
with  excellent  water,  but  it  is  distributed  to  con- 
sumers by  men  who  make  a  regular  business  of 
this  service,  and  who  form  picturesque  objects 
with  their  large  earthen  jars  strapped  across  their 
foreheads,  one  behind  and  one  in  front  to  balance 
each  other.  We  are  struck  with  the  aspect  of 
barrenness  caused  by  the  absence  of  vegetation. 
The  nature  of  the  soil  is  such  as  not  to  afford  sus- 
tenance to  trees,  or  even  sufficient  for  the  hardy 
cactus.  The  grounds  are  honeycombed  in  all 
directions  with  mines  ;  silver  is  king. 

Mines  in  Mexico  are  individual  property,  and  do 
not,  as  we  have  seen  stated,  belong  to  the  govern- 
ment, unless  they  are  abandoned,  when  they  revert 
to  the  state,  and  are  very  promptly  sold  for  the 
benefit  of  the  public  treasury.  In  order  to  keep 
good  the  title,  a  mine  must  be  absolutely  worked 
during  four  months  of  the  year.  If  this  rule  is  in 
any  way  evaded,  the  government  confiscates  the 
property  and  at  once  offers  it  for  sale,  so  that  those 
on  the  lookout  for  such  chances  often  obtain  a  good 
title  at  a  merely  nominal  price.  But  there  are 
mines  and  mines  in  this  country,  as  in  our  western 
districts ;  some  will  pay  to  work  and  some  will  not. 
As  a  rule  it  depends  as  much  upon  the  manage- 
ment of  such  a  property  as  upon  the  richness  of 


INDIAN  EN  DUE  AN  CE.  67 

the  native  ore,  whether  it  yields  a  profitable  return 
for  the  money  invested  in  the  enterprise. 

In  climbing  to  the  level  of  the  city  from  the 
plain  below,  the  railroad  sometimes  doubles  upon 
itself  horseshoe  fashion,  like  a  huge  serpent  gather- 
ing its  body  in  coils  for  a  forward  spring,  winding 
about  the  hills  and  among  the  mines,  affording 
here  and  there  glimpses  of  grand  and  attractive 
scenery  embracing  the  fertile  plains  of  Fresnillo, 
and  in  the  blue  distance  the  main  range  of  the 
Sierra  Mad  re.  The  color  of  these  distant  moun- 
tain ranges  changes  constantly,  varying  with  the 
morning,  noon,  and  twilight  hues,  producing  effects 
which  one  does  not  weary  of  quietly  watching  by 
the  hour  together. 

Vegetables,  charcoal,  fruit,  and  market  produce 
generally  are  brought  into  the  town  from  various 
distances  on  the  backs  of  the  natives.  These  In- 
dians will  tire  the  best  horse  in  the  distance  they 
can  cover  in  the  same  length  of  time,  while  carry- 
ing a  hundred  pounds  and  more  upon  their  backs. 
Mules  and  donkeys  are  also  much  in  use,  but  the 
lower  classes  of  both  sexes  universally  carry  heavy 
burdens  upon  their  backs  from  early  youth.  Some 
of  the  Indian  women  are  seen  bearing  loads  of 
pottery  or  jars  of  water  upon  their  shoulders  with 
seeming  ease,  under  which  an  ordinary  Irish  laborer 
would  stagger.  Comparatively  few  wheeled  ve- 
hicles are  in  use,  and  these  are  of  the  rudest  char- 
acter, the  wheel  being  composed  of  three  pieces 
of  timber,  so  secured  together  as  to  form  a  cir- 
cle, but  having  no  spokes  or  tire,  very  like  the 
ancient  African  and  Egyptian  models.  To  such  a 


G8  AZTEC  LAND. 

vehicle  a  couple  of  oxen  are  attached  by  a  wooden 
bar  reaching  across  their  frontlets  and  lashed  to 
the  roots  of  the  horns  by  leather  thongs.  The 
skins  of  animals,  such  as  goats,  sheep,  and  swine, 
are  universally  employed  for  transpoi'ting  and  stor- 
ing liquids,  precisely  as  in  Egypt  thousands  of 
years  ago.  The  daily  supply  of  pulque  is  brought 
to  market  on  the  natives'  backs  in  pig-skins,  the 
four  legs  protruding  from  the  body  in  a  ludicrous 
manner  when  the  skin  is  full  of  liquid.  Every- 
thing in  and  about  the  city  is  quaint,  though  the 
telephone,  electric  lights,  and  street  tramways  all 
speak  of  modern  civilization.  The  insufficient 
water  supply  is  the  cause  of  much  inconvenience, 
not  to  say  suffering,  and  partly  accounts  for  the 
untidy  condition  of  the  place  and  the  prevalence 
of  offensive  smells.  The  latter  are  so  disgusting 
as  to  be  almost  unbearable  by  a  stranger.  No 
wonder  that  typhoid  fever  and  kindred  diseases 
prevail,  and  that  the  death  rate  exceeds,  as  we  were 
told  is  the  case,  that  of  any  other  district  in  the 
republic. 

There  is  an  article  of  pottery  manufactured  in 
this  vicinity,  of  a  deep  red  color,  hard-baked  and 
glazed  inside  and  out,  having  rude  but  effective  or- 
namentation. Almost  every  large  town  in  Mexico 
has  one  or  more  pottery  manufactories,  each  dis- 
trict producing  ware  which  is  so  individualized  in 
the  shape  and  finish  as  to  distinctly  mark  its 
origin,  so  that  experts  can  tell  exactly  whence  each 
specimen  has  been  brought.  The  manufacture  of 
pottery  is  most  frequently  carried  on  by  individ- 
uals, each  Indian  with  his  primitive  tools  turning 


CIVIL  WAR.  69 

out  work  from  his  mud  cabin  sometimes  fit  to 
grace  the  choicest  and  most  refined  homes.  The 
accuracy  of  eye  and  hand  gained  by  long  practice 
produces  marvelous  results. 

Overlooking  the  city,  on  a  mountain  ridge  known 
as  the  Biifa,  is  a  quaint  and  curious  church,  Los 
Remedies.  From  this  point  one  obtains  a  very 
comprehensive  view  of  the  entire  valley  and  the 
surrounding  rugged  hills.  One  of  the  most  bloody 
battles  of  the  civil  wars  was  fought  on  the  Biifa  in 
1871,  between  a  revolutionary  force  under  General 
Trevino  and  the  Juarez  army,  which  resulted  in 
the  defeat  of  the  revolutionists.  "Both  sides 
fought  with  unprecedented  frenzy,"  said  a  resident 
to  us.  "  From  those  steep  rocks,"  he  continued, 
pointing  to  the  abrupt  declivities,  "  absolutely  ran 
streams  of  blood,  while  dead  bodies  rolled  down 
into  the  gulch  below  by  hundreds."  We  ventured 
to  ask  what  this  quarrel  between  fellow  country- 
men was  about  that  caused  such  a  loss  of  life 
and  induced  such  a  display  of  enthusiastic  devo- 
tion. "  That  is  a  question,"  he  replied,  "  which  the 
rank  and  file  of  either  army  could  not  have  an- 
swered, though  of  course  the  leaders  had  their 
personal  schemes  to  subserve,  —  schemes  of  self- 
aggrandizement."  It  was  Lamartiue  who  said  sig- 
nificantly, "  Civil  wars  leave  nothing  but  tombs." 

It  is  the  custom  for  a  stranger  to  descend  one  or 
more  of  the  silver  mines  ;  indeed,  it  may  be  said  to 
be  the  one  thing  to  do  at  Zacatecas,  but  for  which 
only  the  most  awkward  means  imaginable  are  sup- 
plied, such  as  ladders  formed  of  a  single  long, 
notched  pole,  quite  possible  for  an  acrobat  or  per- 


70  AZTEC  LAND. 

former  on  the  trapeze.  It  is  up  and  down  these 
hazardous  poles  that  the  Indian  miners,  in  night 
and  day  gangs,  climb,  while  carrying  heavy  canvas 
bags  of  ore  weighing  nearly  or  quite  two  hundred 
pounds  each.  The  writer  is  free  to  acknowledge 
that  he  did  not  improve  the  opportunity  to  explore 
the  bowels  of  the  earth  at  Zacatecas,  having  per- 
formed his  full  share  of  this  sort  of  thing  in  other 
parts  of  the  world. 

Zacatecas  has  its  plaza ;  all  Spanish  and  Mexican 
towns  have  one.  Probably,  in  laying  out  a  town, 
the  originators  first  select  this  important  centre, 
and  then  all  other  avenues,  streets,  and  edifices 
are  made  to  conform  to  this  location.  In  the  mid- 
dle of  this  plaza  is  a  large  stone  fountain,  about 
which  groups  of  native  women  are  constantly  busy 
dipping  water  and  filling  their  earthen  jars,  while 
hard  by  other  women,  squatting  on  their  haunches, 
offer  oranges,  pine-apples,  figs,  and  bananas  for 
sale.  How  these  Mexican  markets  swarm  with 
people  and  glow  with  color,  backed  by  moss-grown 
walls  and  ruined  archways  !  Long  burro  trains 
block  the  roadway,  and  others  are  seen  winding 
down  the  zigzag  paths  of  the  overhanging  declivi- 
ties. Close  at  hand  within  these  low  adobe  hovels, 
pulque  is  being  retailed  at  a  penny  a  tumbler.  It 
is  the  lager-beer  of  the  country.  Poverty,  great 
poverty,  stares  us  in  the  face.  No  people  could  be 
more  miserably  housed,  living  and  sleeping  as  they 
do  upon  the  bare  ground,  and  owning  only  the 
few  pitiful  rags  that  hang  about  their  bodies.  At 
the  doors  of  these  mud  cabins  women  are  seen 
making  tortillas  with  their  rude  stone  implements. 


INDIAN  WOMEN.  71 

These  little  flat  cakes  are  bread  and  meat  to  them. 
Now  and  again  one  observes  forms  and  faces 
among  the  young  native  women  that  an  artist 
would  travel  far  to  study ;  but  although  some  few 
are  thus  extremely  handsome,  the  majority  are 
very  homely,  ill-formed,  and  negligent  of  person. 
The  best  looking  among  the  peons  lose  their 
comeliness  after  a  few  years,  owing  to  hard  labor, 
childbirth,  and  deprivations.  Few  women  retain 
their  good  looks  after  twenty-five  years  or  until 
they  are  thirty.  Another  fact  was  remarked,  that 
these  Indian  men  and  women  never  laugh.  The 
writer  was  not  able  to  detect  even  a  smile  upon  the 
faces  of  the  lower  grade  of  natives ;  a  ceaseless 
melancholy  seems  to  surround  them  at  all  times, 
by  no  means  in  accordance  with  the  gay  colors 
which  they  so  much  affect.  In  contrast  to  the 
hovels  of  the  populace,  one  sees  occasionally  a 
small  garden  inclosed  with  a  high  adobe  wall,  be- 
longing to  some  rich  mine  owner,  in  which  the 
tall  pomegranate,  full  of  scarlet  bloom,  or  a  stately 
pepper  tree,  dominates  a  score  of  others  of  semi- 
tropical  growth. 

One  practice  was  observed  at  Zacatecas  which 
recalled  far-away  Hong  Kong,  China.  This  was 
the  prosecution  of  various  trades  in  the  open  air. 
Thus  the  shoemaker  was  at  work  outside  of  his 
dwelling ;  the  tailor,  the  barber,  and  the  tinker 
adopted  the  same  practice,  quite  possible  even  in 
the  month  of  March  in  a  land  of  such  intense 
brightness  and  sunshine.  We  wandered  hither 
and  thither,  charmed  by  the  novelty  and  strange- 
ness of  everything ;  not  an  object  to  remind  one 


72  AZTEC  LAND. 

of  home,  but  only  of  the  far  East.  The  swarthy 
natives  with  sandaled  feet,  the  high  colors  worn  by 
the  common  people,  the  burnous  -  like  scrape,  the 
sober  unemotional  manners  of  the  peons,  the  nut- 
brown  women  with  brilliant  eyes  and  half-covered 
faces,  the  attractive  fruits,  the  sharp  cries  of  the 
venders,  the  Egyptian-shaped  pottery, —  surely  this 
might  be  Damascus  or  Cairo. 

An  excursion  by  tramway  was  made  to  the 
neighboring  town  of  Guadalupe,  six  or  eight  miles 
away,  nearly  the  entire  distance  being  a  sharp 
down  grade,  over  which  the  cars  pass  at  top  speed 
by  their  own  gravitation  ;  no  animals  are  attached. 
So  steep  is  the  descent  that  it  may  be  compared  to 
a  Canadian  toboggan  slide.  It  requires  six  mules 
to  draw  each  car  back  again,  the  animals  being 
harnessed  three  abreast  like  the  horses  in  the  Paris 
and  Neapolitan  omnibuses.  Though  this  tramway 
is  now  admitted  to  be  an  indispensable  adjunct  to 
the  business  of  the  place,  when  it  was  first  re- 
solved upon  by  some  of  the  residents  more  enter- 
prising than  their  neighbors,  it  was  considered  to 
be  a  serious  innovation,  open  to  great  objections, 
the  local  priesthood  bitterly  opposing  it.  Even 
the  moneyed  mine  owners  and  others  who  insti- 
tuted the  project  had  no  fixed  idea  how  to  op- 
erate a  tramway  of  this  sort,  and  an  American 
overseer  was  from  the  beginning  and  is  to-day  in 
charge.  The  cars  were  ordered  from  Philadel- 
phia, and  while  they  were  building,  the  steel  rails, 
which  came  from  Liverpool  by  way  of  Vera  Cruz, 
were  laid  down  from  one  end  of  the  route  to  the 
other.  Finally,  when  the  cars  arrived  from  the 


YANKEE  SKILL.  73 

United  States,  it  was  found  that  they  would  not 
run  on  the  track,  the  fact  being  that  the  rails  had 
been  laid  on  a  gauge  three  inches  narrower  than 
the  cars  were  designed  for.  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
The  Mexicans  at  first  proposed  to  rebuild  the  cars, 
— make  the  bodies  narrower,  and  cut  off  the  axle- 
trees  to  fit  the  gauge  of  the  rails.  In  their  hope- 
less ignorance  this  was  the  only  way  they  could 
see  out  of  the  difficulty.  The  present  superinten- 
dent, a  practical  American  engineer,  was  at  the 
time  in  Zacatecas,  and  took  in  the  position  of  af- 
fairs at  a  glance,  offering  for  five  hundred  dollars 
to  show  the  owners  how  to  get  out  of  the  trouble 
without  changing  an  article  upon  the  cars.  The 
money  was  paid,  and  with  twenty  men  and  some 
suitable  tools  the  American  took  up  a  few  rods  of 
the  track,  made  a  proper  gauge  for  the  rest,  and 
had  the  cars  running  over  the  short  distance  in 
one  day.  It  was  the  old  story  of  Columbus  and 
the  egg,  easy  enough  when  one  knew  how  to  do  it. 
The  managers  of  the  road  promptly  put  the  Amer- 
ican in  charge,  and  he  has  filled  the  position  ever 
since. 

Guadalupe  is  an  interesting  town  of  some  six 
thousand  inhabitants,  not  counting  the  myriads  of 
dogs,  which  do  much  abound  in  every  part  of  Mex- 
ico. As  a  rule  these  are  miserable,  mangy-looking, 
half-starved  creatures,  with  thin  bodies  and  promi- 
nent ribs.  The  poorer  the  people,  the  more  dogs 
they  keep,  a  rule  which  applies  not  only  here,  but 
everywhere,  especially  among  semi-barbarous  races. 
The  people  seem  to  be  very  kind  to  pet  animals,  — 
though  they  do  abuse  the  burros,  —  cats  especially 


74  AZTEC  LAND. 

being  of  a  plump,  handsome  species,  quite  at  home, 
always  sleeping  lazily  in  the  sunshine.  If  they  do 
purr  in  Spanish,  it  is  so  very  like  the  genuine  Eng- 
lish article  that  its  purport  is  quite  unmistakable. 
The  persistency  of  the  beggars  here  attracted  at- 
tention, and  on  inquiry  about  the  matter,  a  resident 
American  informed  us  that  these  beggars  were  ac- 
tually organized  by  the  priests,  to  whom  they  report 
daily,  and  with  whom  they  share  their  proceeds, 
thus  enriching  the  plethoric  coffers  of  the  church. 
This  seems  almost  incredible  ;  but  it  is  true.  The 
decencies  of  life  are  often  ignored,  and  the  open 
streets  present  disgusting  scenes.  Men  and  women 
lie  down  and  sleep  wherever  fatigue  overcomes 
them,  upon  the  hard  stones  or  in  the  dirt.  The 
town  is  generally  barren  of  vegetation,  though  a 
few  dreary  cactus  trees  manage  to  sustain  them- 
selves in  the  rocky  soil,  with  here  and  there  a 
yucca  palm. 

There  is  a  famous  orphan  asylum  in  Guadalupe 
which  is  designed  to  accommodate  a  thousand  in- 
mates at  a  time,  and  there  is  also  a  well-endowed 
college.  The  former  of  these,  the  Orfanatorio  de 
Guadalupe,  is  one  of  the  most  important  charitable 
institutions  in  the  republic.  The  old  church  of 
red  sandstone,  with  its  somewhat  remarkable  carv- 
ings, as  exhibited  upon  the  facade,  has  two  grace- 
ful towers  and  is  elaborately  finished  within.  The 
church  contains  a  half  dozen  oil  paintings  by  An- 
tonio de  Torres,  which  bear  the  date  1720.  The 
finest  of  these  is  that  of  "  The  Last  Supper." 
The  very  elegant  interior  of  the  chapel  of  the  Pu- 
risima  was  not  completed  until  so  late  as  1886, 


HANDSOME  SENORITAS.  75 

and  is  justly  considered  the  finest  modern  church 
structure  in  Mexico.  As  one  passes  out  into  the 
surrounding  squalor  and  obtrusive  poverty,  it  is 
impossible  not  to  moralize  as  to  the  costly,  theatri- 
cal, and  ostentatious  road  which  seems  to  lead  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  heaven. 

The  little  market-place  of  Guadalupe  presents  a 
scene  like  a  country  fair,  with  its  booths  for  the 
sale  of  fruits,  pottery,  vegetables,  flowers,  bright- 
lined  scrapes  and  rebosas,  all  combining  to  form 
a  conglomerate  of  color  which,  mingled  with  the 
moving  figures  of  the  mahogany-hued  Indian  wo- 
men, is  by  no  means  devoid  of  picturesqueness. 
One  must  step  carefully  not  to  tread  upon  the  lit- 
tle mounds  and  clusters  of  fruits  and  vegetables 
spread  upon  the  ground  for  sale.  The  careless, 
happy  laugh  of  a  light-hearted  group  of  senoritas 
rang  musically  upon  the  ear  as  we  watched  the 
market  scene.  Their  uncovered,  purple-black  hair 
glistened  in  the  warm  sunlight,  while  their  roguish 
glances,  from  "soul-deep  eyes  of  darkest  night," 
were  like  sparks  of  electricity.  Was  it  their  nor- 
mal mood,  or  did  the  presence  of  a  curious  stran- 
ger, himself  011  the  qui  vive  to  see  everything, 
move  them  to  just  a  bit  of  coquetry  ? 


CHAPTER  V. 

A.  Mexican  Watering  Place.  —  Delightful  Climate.  —  Aguas  Ca- 
lientes.  —  Young  Senoritas.  —  Local  City  Scenes.  —  Convicts. 
—  Churches.  —  A  Mummified  Monk.  —  Punishment  is  Swift 
and  Sure.  —  Hot  Springs.  —  Bathing  in  Public.  —  Caged 
Songsters.  —  "Antiquities."  —  Delicious  Fruits.  —  Market 
Scenes.  —  San  Luis  Potosi.  —  The  Public  Buildings.  —  City  of 
Leon.  —  A  Beautiful  Plaza.  —  Local  Manufactories.  —  Home 
Industries  of  Leon.  —  The  City  of  Silao.  —  Defective  Agri- 
culture. —  Objection  to  Machinery.  —  Fierce  Sand  Storm. 

AGUAS  CALIENTES  (hot  waters)  is  the  capital 
of  a  small  state  of  the  same  name,  and  is  a  very 
strongly  individualized  city,  containing  something 
less  than  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants.  The 
town  is  handsomely  laid  out  with  great  regularity, 
having  a  number  of  fine  stone  buildings,  luxuriant 
gardens,  and  beautiful  public  squares.  It  is  sit- 
uated seventy-five  miles  south  of  Zacatecas,  on  the 
trunk  line  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad.  This 
route  brings  us  clown  to  the  plain  through  rugged 
steeps  and  sharp  grades,  near  to  the  famous  salt 
and  soda  lakes,  where  the  Rio  Brazos  Santiago  is 
crossed.  Though  we  say  that  Aguas  Calientes  is  on 
a  plain,  yet  the  town  is  over  six  thousand  feet  above 
sea  level,  and  is  well  situated  for  business  growth  in 
a  fertile  region  where  three  main  thoroughfares  al- 
ready centre.  It  is  just  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  miles  northwest  of  the  city  of  Mexico.  The 
Plaza  des  Armas,  with  its  fine  monumental  column 


MEXICAN  FLORA.  77 

and  its  refreshing  fountain,  as  well  as  several 
other  public  gardens  of  the  city,  are  worthy  of 
special  mention  for  their  striking  floral  beauty, 
their  display  of  graceful  palms  and  various  other 
tropical  trees.  It  seemed  as  though  it  must  be 
perpetual  spring  here,  and  that  every  tree  and 
bush  was  in  bloom.  The  Mexican  flora  cannot  be 
surpassed  for  depth  of  rich  coloring.  Sweet  peas, 
camellias,  poppies,  and  pansies  abound,  while  olean- 
ders grow  to  the  height  of  elm  trees,  and  are  cov- 
ered with  a  profusion  of  scarlet  and  white  flowers. 
The  day  was  very  soft,  sunny,  and  genial,  when  we 
wandered  over  the  ancient  place  ;  all  the  treetops 
lay  asleep,  and  there  was  scarcely  a  breath  of  air 
stirring.  Every  sight  and  every  sound  had  the 
charm  of  novelty.  Groups  of  young  senoritas 
strolled  leisurely  about  the  town  ;  their  classic  pro- 
files, large  gazelle-like  eyes,  rosy  lips,  delicate 
hands  and  feet,  together  with  their  shapely  forms, 
indicated  their  mingled  Spanish  and  Indian  origin. 
The  many  sonorous  bells  of  the  churches  kept  up 
a  continuous  peal  at  special  morning  and  evening 
hours.  In  spite  of  the  half-incongruous  notes  of 
these  different  metallic  voices  floating  together  on 
the  atmosphere,  there  was  a  sense  of  harmony  in 
the  aggregate  of  sound,  which  recalled  the  more 
musical  chimes  one  hears  on  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean.  Mexican  churches  are  not  sup- 
plied with  chimes,  though  each  steeple  has  at  least 
a  half  dozen,  and  often  as  many  as  a  score,  of 
costly  bells. 

Here  and  there  the  town  shows  unmistakable 
tokens  of  age,  which  is  but  reasonable,  as  it  was 


78  AZTEC  LAND. 

founded  in  1520.  The  variety  of  colors  used  upon 
the  facades  of  the  low  adobe  houses  produces  a  pleas- 
ing effect.  The  love  of  the  Aztec  race  for  warm, 
bright  colors  is  seen  everywhere.  The  Garden  of 
San  Marcos,  one  of  many  open  public  squares, 
forms  a  wilderness  of  foliage  and  flowers,  where 
the  oleanders  are  thirty  feet  in  height,  shading 
lilies,  roses,  and  pansies,  with  a  low-growing  species 
of  mignonette  as  fragrant  as  violets,  our  admira- 
tion for  which  was  shared  by  a  score  of  glittering 
humming-birds.  Here  too  the  jasmine,  with  its  tiny 
variegated  flowers,  flourished  by  the  side  of  hydran- 
geas full  of  snow-flake  bloom,  while  orange  blos- 
soms made  the  air  heavy  with  their  odorous  breath. 
Close  to  this  garden  is  the  bull  ring,  opposite  to 
which  gangs  of  convicts  are  seen  sweeping  the 
streets  under  the  supervision  of  a  military  guard. 
Though  these  men  are  unchained,  they  make  no  at- 
tempt to  escape,  as  the  guards  under  such  circum- 
stances have  a  habit  of  promptly  shooting  a  pris- 
oner dead  upon  the  spot ;  no  one  takes  the  trouble 
to  inquire  into  the  summary  proceeding,  and  it 
would  do  no  good  if  he  did.  There  is  no  sickly  sen- 
timentality expended  upon  highwaymen,  garroters, 
or  murderers  in  Mexico.  If  a  man  commits  a 
crime,  he  is  made  to  pay  the  penalty  for  it,  no  mat- 
ter what  his  position  may  be.  There  is  no  par- 
doning out  of  prison  here,  so  that  the  criminal  may 
have  a  second  chance  to  outrage  the  rights  of  the 
community.  If  a  trusted  individual  steals  the 
property  of  widows  and  orphans  and  runs  away, 
he  must  stay  away,  for  if  he  comes  back  he  will 
surely  be  shot.  All  things  considered,  we  believe 


A  REMARKABLE  BELL.  79 

this  certainty  of  punishment  is  the  restraining 
force  with  many  men  of  weak  principles.  Since 
the  order  to  shoot  all  highwaymen  as  soon  as 
taken  was  promulgated,  brigandage  has  almost  en- 
tirely disappeared  in  Mexico,  though  up  to  that 
time  it  was  of  daily  occurrence  in  some  parts  of 
the  country. 

There  are  several  churches  in  Aguas  Calientes 
which  are  well  worth  visiting,  som'e  of  which  con- 
tain fine  old  paintings,  though  they  are  mostly 
hung  in  a  very  poor  light.  There  is  an  unmistak- 
able atmosphere  of  antiquity  within  these  walls, 
"  mellowed  by  scutcheoned  panes  in  cloisters  old." 
The  church  facing  the  Plaza  Mayor  has  a  remark- 
able bell,  celebrated  for  its  fine  tones ;  and  when 
this  sounded  for  vespers,  Millet's  Angelus  was  in- 
stantly recalled,  the  poor  peons,  no  matter  how  en- 
gaged, piously  uncovering  their  heads  and  bowing 
with  folded  hands  while  their  lips  moved  in  prayer. 
We  were  told  of  the  great  cost  of  this  bell,  which 
is  said  to  contain  half  a  ton  of  silver  ;  but  this  is 
doubtless  an  exaggerated  story  framed  to  tickle  a 
stranger's  ear,  since  if  over  a  certain  moderate 
percentage  of  silver  is  employed  in  the  casting,  the 
true  melody  of  the  bell  is  destroyed.  A  queer  ob- 
ject is  shown  the  visitor  for  a  trifling  fee,  in  the 
crypt  of  the  church  of  San  Diego,  being  the  re- 
mains of  a  mummified  or  desiccated  monk,  sitting 
among  a  mass  of  skulls,  rib  and  thigh  bones,  once 
belonging  to  human  beings.  The  moral  of  this 
exhibition  seemed  a  little  too  far-fetched  to  be  in- 
teresting, and  our  small  party  hastened  away  with 
a  sense  of  disgust. 


80  AZTEC  LAND. 

The  hot  springs  from  which  the  state  and  city 
take  their  name  are  situated  a  couple  of  miles  east 
of  the  town,  at  the  end  of  a  delightful  alameda. 
A  small  canal  borders  this  roadway,  which  is  lib- 
erally supplied  with  water  from  the  thermal  springs, 
and  scores  of  the  populace  may  be  seen  washing 
clothing  on  its  edge  at  neai'ly  any  hour  of  the  day, 
as  well  as  bathing  therein,  men  and  women  to- 
gether, with  a  decided  heedlessness  of  the  conven- 
tionalities. The  Maoris  of  New  Zealand  could  not 
show  more  utter  disregard  for  a  state  of  nudity 
than  was  exhibited  by  one  group  of  natives  whom 
we  saw.  The  admirable  climate,  the  hot  springs, 
the  beautiful  gardens,  vineyards,  and  abundant 
fruits,  render  this  place  thoroughly  attractive,  not- 
withstanding that  so  large  a  portion  consists  of 
adobe  houses  of  only  one  story  in  height.  These 
are  often  made  inviting  by  their  neat  surroundings 
and  by  being  frescoed  in  bright  colors  inside  and 
out.  One  or  two  native  birds  in  gayest  colors 
usually  hang  beside  the  open  doors,  in  a  home- 
made cage  of  dried  rushes,  singing  as  gayly  as 
those  confined  in  more  costly  and  gilded  prisons. 
Just  opposite  the  public  baths  was  one  of  these 
domesticated  pets  of  the  mocking-bird  species, 
who  was  remarkably  accomplished.  He  was  never 
silent,  but  was  constantly  and  successfully  strug- 
gling to  imitate  every  peculiar  sound  which  he 
heard.  He  broke  down,  however,  ignominiously 
in  his  attempts  with  the  tramway  fish-horns.  They 
were  too  much  for  him.  This  bird  was  of  soft  ash 
color,  with  a  long,  graceful  set  of  tail-feathers,  and 
kept  himself  in  most  presentable  order,  notwith- 


ANCIENT  POTTERY.  81 

standing  his  narrow  quarters  in  a  home-made  cage. 
It  was  in  vain  that  we  tried  to  purchase  the  crea- 
ture. Either  the  Indian  woman  had  not  the  right 
to  sell  him,  or  she  prized  the  bird  too  highly  to  part 
with  him  at  any  price.  As  we  came  away  from 
the  low  adobe  cabin,  the  bird  was  mewing  in  imi- 
tation of  another  domestic  pet  which  belonged  to 
the  same  woman. 

Comparatively  few  humble  dwellings  have  glass 
in  the  windows,  but  nearly  all  have  these  openings 
barred  with  iron  in  more  or  less  ornamental  styles. 
There  are  a  few  central  situations  where  two-story 
houses  prevail.  Besides  the  churches,  there  are 
the  governor's  palace,  the  casa  municipal,  and  the 
stores  and  dwelling-houses  which  surround  the 
Plaza  Mayor,  the  latter  having  open  arcades,  or 
portales,  beneath  the  first  story.  People  come  from 
various  parts  of  Mexico  to  enjoy  the  baths  of 
Aguas  Calientes,  and  one  sees  many  strangers 
about  the  town.  The  place  has,  in  fact,  been  the 
resort  of  people  from  various  sections  of  the  coun- 
try from  time  immemorial,  on  account  of  the  pre- 
sumed advantages  to  be  derived  from  the  hot 
springs.  Mineral  waters,  hot  and  cold,  abound  on 
the  table-laud  of  Mexico. 

It  is  said  that  by  digging  almost  anywhere  in 
tliis  neighborhood,  one  can  exhume  pottery  and 
other  articles  concerning  whose  manufacture  there 
is  a  profound  mystery,  the  shapes  and  style  of  finish 
being  quite  different  from  what  is  now  produced. 
These  articles  arc  reputed  to  antedate  the  Toltec 
period,  though  the  natives,  finding  that  the  antique 
shapes  are  most  popular  with  European  and  Arner- 


82  AZTEC  LAND. 

ican  tourists,  imitate  them  very  closely.  When 
"antiquities  "  are  offered  to  one  in  a  foreign  coun- 
try, he  should  be  very  wary  in  purchasing,  as  the 
artificial  manufacture  of  them  is  fully  up  to  the 
demand.  The  writer  once  saw  an  article  sold  at 
Cairo  as  an  antique  for  ten  pounds  sterling  which 
was  afterwards  proved,  by  an  unmistakable  mark, 
to  have  been  made  in  Birmingham,  England.  So 
Aztec  and  Toltec  remains  are  produced  to  any 
extent  in  the  city  of  Mexico  ;  and  the  enterprising 
English  manufacturer,  we  were  told,  has  even  in- 
vaded Yucatan  with  his  "  antique  "  wares. 

Fruit  is  abundant,  cheap,  and  delicious  in  the 
market-place  of  Aguas  Calientes.  Fifty  oranges 
were  offered  to  us  for  a  quarter  of  a  dollar,  or  two 
for  a  penny.  Sunday  is  the  principal  market-day, 
when  the  country  people  for  miles  around  bring  in 
fruit,  vegetables,  flowers,  pottery,  and  home-woven 
articles  for  sale.  Men  and  women,  sitting  on  the 
ground,  patiently  wait  for  hours  to  make  trifling 
sales,  the  profit  on  which  cannot  exceed  a  few  pen- 
nies, and  often  the  poor  creatures  sell  little  or 
nothing.  The  principal  market  is  a  permanent 
building,  occupying  a  whole  block,  or  square.  The 
area  about  which  it  is  built  is  open  in  the  centre  ; 
that  is,  without  covering.  Here  a  motley  group 
displayed  baskets,  fruits,  flowers,  candies,  pulque, 
boots,  shoes,  and  sandals.  A^rhite  onions  mingled 
with  red  tomatoes  and  pine-apples  formed  the  apex 
to  a  pyramid  of  oranges,  bananas,  lemons,  pome- 
granates, all  arranged  so  as  to  present  attractive 
colors  and  forms,  being  often  decked  with  flowers. 
Green  sugar-cane,  cut  in  available  lengths,  was 


PUBLIC  BATHS.  83 

rapidly  consumed  by  young  Mexico,  and  gay 
young  girls  indulged  in  dulces  (sweets).  Hun- 
dreds of  patient  donkeys,  without  harness  of  any 
sort,  or  even  a  rope  about  their  necks,  stood  de- 
murely awaiting  their  hour  of  service.  Beggars 
are  plenty,  but  few  persons  were  seen  really  intox- 
icated, notwithstanding  that  pulque  is  cheap  and 
muscal  very  potent.  Ked,  blue,  brown,  and  striped 
rebosas  flitted  before  the  eyes,  worn  by  the  restless 
crowd,  while  occasionally  one  saw  a  lady  of  the 
upper  class,  attended  by  her  maid  in  gaudy  colors, 
herself  clad  in  the  dark,  conventional  Spanish  style, 
her  black  hair,  covered  with  a  lace  veil  of  the  same 
hue,  held  in  place  by  a  square-topped  shell  comb. 

The  public  bathhouse,  near  the  railroad  depot,  is 
remarkable  for  spaciousness  and  for  the  excellence 
of  the  general  arrangements.  It  is  built  of  a  con- 
glomerate of  cobble-stones,  bricks,  and  mortar,  and 
might  be  a  bit  out  of  the  environs  of  Rome.  In 
the  central  open  area  of  these  baths  is  a  choice 
garden  full  of  blooming  flowers  and  tropical  trees. 
Oleanders,  fleurs-de-lis,  flowering  geraniums,  peach 
blossoms,  scarlet  poppies  mingling  with  white,  be- 
side beds  of  pansies  and  violets,  delighted  the  eye 
and  filled  the  air  with  perfume.  The  surroundings 
and  conveniences  were  more  Oriental  than  Mexi- 
can, inviting  the  stranger  to  bathe  by  the  extraor- 
dinary facilities  offered  to  him,  and  captivating  the 
senses  by  beauty  and  fragrance.  There  is  a  spa- 
cious swimming-bath  within  the  walls,  beside  the 
single  bathrooms,  in  both  of  which  the  water  is 
kept  at  a  delightful  temperature.  The  luxury  of 
these  baths,  after  a  long,  dusty  ride  over  Mexican 


84  AZTEC  LAND. 

roads,  can  hardly  be  imagined  by  those  who  have 
not  enjoyed  it.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Plaza  Mayor, 
ice-cream  was  hawked  and  sold  by  itinerant  ven- 
ders. We  were  told  of  a  mysterious  method  of 
producing  ice,  which  is  employed  here  during  the 
night,  by  means  of  putting  water  in  the  hollowed 
stalk  of  the  maguey  or  agave  plant,  but  we  do  not 
clearly  understand  the  process.  The  volatile  oil 
of  the  century  plant  is  said  to  evaporate  so  rapidly 
as  to  freeze  the  water  deposited  in  it.  At  any 
rate,  the  natives  have  some  process  by  which  they 
produce  ice  in  this  tropical  clime ;  but  whether 
it  is  by  aid  of  the  maguey  plant,  from  which 
comes  the  pulque,  or  by  some  other  means,  we 
cannot  say  authoritatively.  In  the  cities  and  on 
the  Texan  border,  ice  is  largely  manufactured  by 
chemical  process  aided  by  machinery,  a  means  of 
supply  well  known  in  all  countries  where  natural 
ice  is  not  formed  by  continued  low  temperature. 

San  Luis  Potosi  is  situated  about  one  hundred 
miles  to  the  eastward  of  Aguas  Calientes,  on  the 
branch  road  connecting  the  main  trunk  of  the 
Mexican  Central  with  Tampico  on  the  Gulf.  It 
is  the  capital  of  the  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi,  and 
has,  according  to  estimate,  over  forty  thousand  in- 
habitants. The  city  contains  many  fine  buildings, 
the  most  notable  among  them  being  the  state  capi- 
tol,  the  business  exchange,  the  state  museum,  the 
mint,  and  the  public  library.  This  last-named 
contains  between  seventy  and  eighty  thousand  vol- 
umes. There  is  here  a  larger  proportion  of  two- 
story  buildings  than  is  seen  in  either  Saltillo  or 
Monterey.  There  are  also  a  college,  a  hospital, 


SAN  LUIS  POTOSI.  85 

and  a  theatre.  It  has  several  plazas  and  many 
churches.  The  cathedral  is  quite  modern,  having 
been  erected  within  the  last  forty  years ;  it  faces 
the  Plaza  Mayor,  where  there  is  a  bronze  statue  of 
the  patriot  Hidalgo.  We  are  here  fully  six  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea  level,  in  a  wholesome  local- 
ity, which,  it  is  claimed,  possesses  the  most  equable 
climate  in  Mexico,  the  temperature  never  reach- 
ing freezing-point,  and  rarely  being  uncomfortably 
warm.  There  are  several  fine  old  churches  in 
San  Luis  Potosi,  containing  some  admirable  oil 
paintings  by  Vallejo,  Tresguerras,  and  others  of 
less  fame.  The  city  is  three  hundred  and  sixty 
miles  north  of  the  national  capital,  and  is  destined, 
with  the  opening  of  the  railroad  to  Tampico,  which 
has  so  recently  taken  place,  to  grow  rapidly.  Its 
tramway,  or  horse-car,  service  is  particularly  well 
managed,  and  facilitates  all  sorts  of  transportation 
in  and  about  the  city.  In  the  Sierra  near  at  hand 
are  the  famous  silver  mines  known  as  Cerro  del 
Potosi,  which  are  so  rich  in  the  deposit  of  ar- 
gentiferous ore  that  it  is  named  after  the  mines 
of  Potosi  in  Peru.  There  are  valuable  salt  mines 
existing  in  this  State  of  San  Luis  Potosi,  at  Pefion 
Blanco.  The  city  has  always  been  noted  as  a 
military  centre,  and  a  large  number  of  the  regular 
army  are  stationed  here.  When  Santa  Anna  re- 
turned from  exile,  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  with 
this  country,  in  1846,  it  was  here  that  he  concen- 
trated his  forces.  When  defeated  by  General  Tay- 
lor at  Buena  Vista,  he  marched  back  to  San  Luis 
Potosi  with  the  remnant  of  his  thoroughly  demor- 
alized army,  where  he  again  established  his  head- 


86  AZTEC  LAND. 

quarters.  On  the  Sabbath,  as  in  other  Mexican 
cities,  the  grand  market  of  the  week  takes  place, 
when  cock-fighting,  marketing,  praying,  and  bull- 
fighting are  strangely  mixed. 

About  a  hundred  miles  south  of  Aguas  Cali- 
entes  we  reach  the  important  manufacturing  city 
of  Leon,  State  of  Guanajuato,  a  thrifty,  enterpris- 
ing capital,  containing  over  ninety  thousand  in- 
habitants. It  is  considered  the  third  largest  and 
most  important  city  of  the  republic.  We  have 
now  come  eight  hundred  and  thirty  miles  since 
leaving  the  International  Bridge,  by  which  we 
entered  Mexican  territory  at  Pedras  Negras,  and 
find  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile,  well-watered 
plain,  intersected  by  the  small  river  Turbio,  two 
hundred  and  sixty  miles  northwest  of  the  city  of 
Mexico.  Rich  grazing  fields  are  spread  broad- 
cast, many  of  which  exhibit  the  deep,  beautiful 
green  of  the  alfalfa,  or  Mexican  clover,  which  is 
fed  in  a  fresh-cut  condition  to  favored  cattle,  but 
not  to  burros,  poor  creatures !  They  feed  them- 
selves on  what  they  can  pick  up  by  the  roadside, 
on  the  refuse  vegetables  thrown  away  in  the  city 
markets,  on  straw;  in  short,  on  almost  anything. 
There  is  a  theory  that  they  will  live  on  empty  fruit 
tins,  broken  glass  bottles,  and  sardine  boxes ;  but 
we  are  not  prepared  to  indorse  that.  The  fields 
and  small  domestic  gardens  hereabouts  are  often 
hedged  by  tall,  pole-like  cacti  of  the  species  called 
the  organ  cactus,  from  its  peculiar  resemblance  to 
the  pipes  of  an  organ.  This  forms  a  prevailing 
picture  in  the  wild  landscape  of  southern  Mexico. 
Leon  is  nearly  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 


CITY  OF  LEON.  87 

As  the  railroad  depot  is  a  mile  from  the  city 
proper, —  a  characteristic  of  transportation  facilities 
which  applies  to  all  Mexican  capitals,  —  we  reach 
the  plaza  of  Leon  by  tramway.  The  place  has  all 
the  usual  belongings  of  a  Spanish  town,  though  it 
contains  no  buildings  of  special  interest.  The 
plaza,  the  market-place,  and  the  cathedral  are  each 
worthy  of  note.  The  first-named  has  a  large,  re- 
freshing fountain  in  its  centre,  whose  music  cheers 
the  senses  when  oppressed  by  tropical  heat.  The 
plaza  is  also  shaded  by  thick  clusters  of  ornamen- 
tal trees.  There  was  a  grand  annual  fair  held 
here  before  the  days  of  railroads  in  Mexico,  which 
was  an  occasion  attracting  people  from  all  the 
commercial  centres  of  the  country.  While  talk- 
ing to  a  local  merchant  he  said  to  us  :  "  Certain 
circumscribed  interests  were  at  first  unfavorably 
affected  by  the  establishment  of  the  railroad,  and 
people  grumbled  accordingly ;  but  we  have  come 
to  see  that  after  all  it  is  for  the  universal  good  to 
have  this  prompt  means  of  transportation.  It  was 
the  same,"  he  continued,  "  as  regards  the  tramway ; 
but  we  could  not  do  without  that  convenience 
now." 

On  one  side  of  the  plaza  is  the  governor's  pal- 
ace, a  long,  plain,  two-story  building  of  composite 
material, — stone,  sun-dried  bricks,  and  mortar,  col- 
ored white.  On  the  other  three  sides  is  a  line  of 
two-story  buildings,  beneath  which  is  a  continuous 
block  of  portalcs,  or  arches,  crowded  with  shops 
and  booths;  the  first  story  of  these  houses  being 
thus  devoted  to  trade,  the  second  to  dwellings. 
The  general  effect  of  this  large  business  square, 


88  AZTEC  LAND. 

with  the  deep  greenery  of  the  plaza  in  the  centre, 
is  extremely  attractive.  Strolling  about  it  in  the 
intense  sunshine  are  many  beggars  and  grandees ; 
women  in  bright-colored  rebosas  ;  others  in  rags 
which  do  not  half  cover  their  nakedness ;  fair 
sefioritas  with  tall,  red-heeled  boots  pointed  at  the 
toes,  and  poor  girls  with  bare  limbs  and  feet ; 
cripples  and  athletes  ;  beauty  and  deformity  ;  ple- 
thoric priests  and  cadaverous  peons.  Now  a  horse- 
man in  theatrical  costume,  sword  and  pistol  by  his 
side,  and  huge  silver  spurs  on  his  heels,  seated  on 
a  small  but  beautifully  formed  Andalusian  horse, 
passes  swiftly  by,  and  now  a  score  of  charcoal- 
laden  donkeys,  driven  by  an  Indian  larger  than 
the  animal  he  bestrides.  All  the  men  who  can 
afford  it  wear  broad  -  brimmed  sombreros  richly 
ornamented  with  gold  and  silver  braid;  the  poor- 
est, though  otherwise  but  halt'  clad,  and  with  bare 
limbs,  have  a  substitute  for  the  sombrero  in  straw 
or  some  cheap  material.  The  broader  the  brim 
and  the  taller  the  crown,  the  "?ore  they  are  ad- 
mired. It  is  a  busy,  ever-shifting  scene  presented 
by  the  Plaza  Mayor  of  Leon,  such  as  one  may 
look  upon  only  south  of  the  Rio  Grande. 

The  paseo  is  a  remarkably  fine,  tree-embowered 
avenue,  a  sort  of  miniature  Champs  Elysees,  flanked 
by  well-cultivated  fields  and  gardens,  forming  the 
beginning  of  the  road  which  leads  to  Silao.  lie- 
sides  the  Plaza  Mayor  and  the  paseo,  there  are  a 
dozen  minor  plazas  (plazuelas)  in  Leon,  all  more 
or  less  attractive.  On  the  road  lean  ing  to  Lagos, 
not  far  from  the  city,  there  are  hot  mineral  springs 
much  esteemed  and  much  used  for  bathing.  One 


LOCALIZED  MANUFACTORIES.  89 

can  go  anywhere  in  and  about  Leon  by  tramway 
as  easily  as  in  Boston  or  New  York.  The  specialty 
of  the  city  is  its  various  manufactories  of  leather 
goods,  but  particularly  saddles,  boots,  and  shoes, 
together  with  leather  sandals,  such  as  are  worn  by 
the  common  people  who  do  not  go  barefooted,  — 
though  the  fact  is  nine  tenths  of  them  do  go  bare- 
footed. Another  special  product  of  Leon  is  blue 
and  striped  rebosas,  so  universally  worn  by  the 
women  of  the  humbler  class. 

It  is  a  peculiarity  in  Mexico  that  a  certain 
branch  of  manufacture  is  confined  in  a  great  mea- 
sure to  one  place,  other  business  localities  respect- 
ing this  partial  monopoly  by  devoting  themselves 
to  other  productions.  Thus  the  industry  of  Leon 
is  developed  in  tanning  leather,  and  the  making  of 
boots,  shoes,  saddlery,  and  rebosas  ;  Salamanca  is 
noted  for  its  buckskin  garments  and  gloves  ;  Ira- 
puato  is  devoted  to  raising  strawberries,  and  sup- 
plies half  the  republic  with  this  delicious  fruit ; 
Queretaro  is  famous  for  the  opals  it  ships  from  its 
unique  mines  ;  Lerdo  enriches  itself  by  the  cotton 
which  it  sends  to  market ;  Celaya,  in  the  valley  of 
the  Laja,  is  known  all  over  Mexico  for  the  produc- 
tion of  fine  dulces  (sweets,  or  confectionery)  made 
from  milk  and  sugar  ;  from  Puebla  come  the  ele- 
gant and  profitable  onyx  ornaments  so  much  prized 
at  home  and  abroad  ;  Aguas  Calientes  is  famous 
as  an  agricultural  centre,  supplying  the  markets 
of  the  country  with  corn  and  beans ;  from  Orizaba 
and  Cordova  come  coffee,  sugar,  and  delicious 
tropical  fruits  ;  Chihuahua  raises  horses  and  cattle 
for  the  home  market  and  for  exportation  ;  Guada- 


90  AZTEC  LAND. 

lajara  is  unrivaled  for  the  production  of  pottery 
and  crockery  ware,  Zacatecas  and  Guanajuato  for 
the  mining  of  silver ;  and  so  the  list  might  be  ex- 
tended, showing  the  native  resources  of  the  coun- 
try and  the  concentration  of  special  industries. 

Many  of  the  dwellings  —  most  of  them,  indeed 
—  are  but  one  story  in  height,  in  the  city  proper, 
though  often  constructed  of  stone ;  but  in  the 
suburbs  they  are  altogether  of  one  story  and  built 
of  adobe.  Some  of  the  hedges  are  both  striking 
and  effective,  consisting  of  the  prickly  -  pear  cac- 
tus, which  presents  an  impenetrable  barrier  to  man 
or  beast.  The  natives  prepare  a  dish  of  green 
salad  from  the  tender  leaves  of  the  cactus,  as  we 
do  from  dandelions  and  lettuce,  which  satisfies  a 
certain  appetite,  and  no  doubt  contains  consider- 
able nourishment.  There  are  several  quite  ancient 
churches,  a  cathedral,  and  two  theatres  in  Leon. 
Of  the  latter,  that  which  attracted  us  most  might 
have  passed  for  a  floral  conservatory.  It  was  a 
stone  edifice,  with  a  broad  vestibule  full  of  flowers, 
having  a  fountain  in  the  centre  and  a  dome  covered 
with  glass.  The  cathedral,  under  the  ascribed 
patronage  of  "  Our  Lady  of  Light,"  makes  up  for 
its  shortcomings  in  the  architecture  of  its  lower 
portions  by  a  fine  dome  and  two  lofty  towers,  these 
last  of  quite  modern  construction,  having  been 
completed  so  late  as  1878.  The  oldest  church  in 
the  city  is  La  Soledad,  which  dates  back  three 
hundred  and  fifty  years.  Two  others,  San  Juan 
de  Dios  and  San  Felipe  Neri,  are  of  more  than 
passing  interest  to  the  traveler. 

it  was  observed,  in  nearly  all  the  dwellings  which 


CITY  OF  SILAO.  91 

were  entered,  that  the  women  as  well  as  the  men 
were  engaged  with  hand-looms,  weaving  rebosas  or 
scrapes.  In  many  instances  children  were  thus 
employed,  of  such  tender  age  that  it  was  surpris- 
ing to  see  the  excellence  of  the  work  which  they 
produced.  These  humble  interiors  present  notable 
pictures  of  respectability,  industry,  and  thrift.  In 
the  market-place,  flowers,  mostly  beautiful  roses  of 
white  and  red  varieties,  were  sold  by  the  score  for 
a  five -cent  piece,  and  lovely  bouquets,  containing 
artistic  combinations  of  color  and  great  variety  of 
species,  were  offered  for  ten  cents  each.  The  plains 
in  the  environs  of  Leon  are  beautified  by  some 
magnificent  groves  of  trees,  and  exhibit  great  fer- 
tility of  soil. 

After  passing  through  miles  of  dreary  territory 
which  produced  little  save  an  abnormal  growth  of 
cacti  of  several  species,  exhibiting  great  variety 
in  shape  and  the  color  of  its  blossoms,  which 
were  sometimes  white,  but  oftener  red  or  yellow, 
twenty  miles  southeast  of  Leon  and  two  hundred 
and  thirty-eight  north  of  the  national  capital,  we 
reach  the  small  city  of  Silao,  in  the  State  of 
Guanajuato,  which  has  a  population  of  about  fif- 
teen thousand.  This  is  an  agricultural  district, 
six  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  where 
irrigation  is  absolutely  necessary,  and  where  it  is 
freely  applied,  but  by  hand  power,  the  water  being 
raised  from  the  ditches  by  means  of  buckets.  Un- 
der this  treatment  the  soil  is  so  fertile  as  to  yield 
two  crops  of  wheat  and  maize  annually,  besides  an 
abundance  of  other  staples.  The  eyes  of  the  trav- 
eler are  delighted,  on  approaching  Silao,  by  the 


92  AZTEC  LAND. 

view  of  far-reaching  fields  of  waving  grain,  giving 
full  promise  of  a  rich  harvest  near  at  hand.  We 
were  told  that  these  fields  were  flooded  twice  dur- 
ing the  growing  of  a  crop :  first,  early  in  January, 
when  the  young  plants  are  two  or  three  inches 
high,  and  again  soon  after  the  first  of  March, 
just  before  the  ear  is  about  to  develop  itself. 
Sometimes,  as  is  done  in  Egypt,  the  fields  are  in- 
undated before  sowing.  Some  of  the  richest  soil 
for  wheat-growing  in  all  Mexico  lies  between  San 
Juan  del  Rio  and  Leon.  The  idea  of  a  rotation 
of  crops,  the  advantages  of  which  the  intelligent 
American  farmer  so  well  understands,  does  not 
seem  yet  to  have  dawned  upon  the  Mexican  cul- 
tivator of  the  soil.  He  goes  on  year  after  year 
extracting  the  same  chemicals  from  the  earth, 
without  using  fertilizers  at  all,  and  planting  the 
same  seed  in  the  same  fields.  By  no  happy  ac- 
cident does  he  substitute  corn  for  oats,  or  wheat 
for  either.  He  never  thinks  of  giving  his  grain 
field  a  breathing  spell  by  planting  it  with  potatoes 
or  any  other  root  crop,  and  substituting  a  different 
style  of  cultivation.  In  and  about  the  town  are 
some  large  and  admirably  managed  gardens  of 
fruits  and  flowers.  One  was  hardly  prepared,  be- 
fore coming  hither,  to  accord  to  the  Spanish  char- 
acter so  much  of  appreciation  and  such  delicacy  of 
taste  as  are  revealed  through  the  almost  universal 
cultivation  of  flowers  in  Mexico,  wherever  circum- 
stances will  admit  of  it.  Silao  is  just  fifteen  miles 
from  Guanajuato,  the  capital  of  the  state,  with 
which  it  is  connected  by  railway. 

The  rainfall  is  comparatively  very  slight  on  the 


MACHINERY  AGAINST  MUSCLE.  93 

entire  Mexican  plateau,  limited,  in  fact,  to  two  or 
three  months  in  the  year,  which  renders  irrigation 
a  universal  necessity  to  insure  success  in  farming ; 
but  the  means  employed  for  the  purpose,  as  we 
have  seen,  are  singularly  primitive.  The  same 
objection  that  limited  intelligence  evinces  every- 
where to  the  introduction  of  labor-saving  ma- 
chinery is  exhibited  here  in  Mexico.  When  the 
author  was  at  the  Lakes  of  Killarney,  a  few  years 
since,  and  saw  the  hotel  employees  cutting  grass 
upon  the  broad  lawn  with  a  sickle  or  reaping-hook, 
he  suggested  to  the  landlord  that  an  American 
lawn-mower  should  be  used,  whereby  one  man  could 
do  the  job  quicker  and  in  better  shape  than  twenty 
men  could  do  by  this  primitive  mode.  "  If  I  were 
to  introduce  an  American  lawn-mower  on  to  this 
place,"  said  the  landlord,  "the  laborers  would 
burn  my  house  down  at  once !  "  So  when  the  air- 
brakes were  introduced  on  the  National  Railroad 
in  Mexico,  thus  not  only  adding  unquestionably  to 
the  safety  of  the  cars,  but  decreasing  the  necessity 
for  so  many  train  hands,  the  laborers  cut  and  de- 
stroyed the  brakes.  Through  persistent  determi- 
nation on  the  part  of  the  officers  of  the  road,  the 
air-brake  is  now  in  use  by  the  Mexican  Central 
corporation,  from  the  Rio  Grande  to  the  capital ; 
but  the  National  line  between  the  capital  and  Vera 
Cruz  is  not  able  to  make  use  of  this  greater  safe- 
guard and  economical  air-brake,  because  a  lot  of 
stupid,  ignorant  brakenien  object ! 

Silao  is  of  little  commercial  importance,  but  it 
has  the  over-abundance  of  churches  always  to  be 
found  in  Spanish  towns  of  its  size,  none  of  which, 


94  AZTEC  LAND. 

in  this  instance,  are  any  way  remarkable.  But  the 
place  is  picturesque  and  interesting ;  one  would  not 
like  to  have  missed  it.  The  church  of  Santiago 
has  a  tall,  graceful,  and  slender  spire,  sure  to  at- 
tract an  observant  eye,  recalling  the  pinnacle  of 
St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  in  the  capital  of  Russia. 
We  have  said  Silao  is  of  little  commercial  impor- 
tance, but  there  are  six  or  eight  flour-mills,  which 
seem  to  be  the  nucleus  about  which  the  principal 
business  interests  centre.  The  place  was  founded 
more  than  three  centuries  ago,  and  impresses  one 
with  an  atmosphere  of  crumbling  antiquity  which 
somehow  is  pretty  sure  to  challenge  respect. 
"  Time  consecrates,"  says  Schiller,  "  and  what  is 
gray  with  age  becomes  religion." 

Seeing  a  number  of  Indian  men  and  women  re- 
lieving themselves  from  heavy  burdens  brought 
into  the  market,  we  were  surprised  to  note  the 
weight  which  these  trained  natives  could  carry. 
On  inquiry  it  was  found  that  some  of  them  had 
come  over  mountainous  roads  a  distance  of  twenty 
miles  and  more,  each  bearing  upon  his  or  her  back 
a  weight  in  produce  of  various  sorts  which  must 
have  been  near  to  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  As 
profit  on  all  their  chickens,  eggs,  vegetables,  pot- 
tery, and  fruit,  they  could  hardly  average  more 
than  a  dollar  to  each  individual.  Plow  simple  and 
circumscribed  must  be  the  necessities  of  a  people 
who  can  sustain  themselves  upon  such  earnings ! 
When  on  the  road,  these  Indians  have  a  peculiarly 
rapid  gait,  a  sort  of  dog-trot,  so  to  speak,  which 
they  will  keep  up  for  hours  at  a  time  while  carry- 
ing their  heavy  burdens.  Though  they  all  speak 


A  DRY  GALE.  95 

Spanish,  yet  each  tribe  or  section  of  country  seems 
to  have  a  dialect  of  its  own,  which  is  used  exclu- 
sively among  its  people.  Scientists  tell  us  that 
the  various  languages  and  dialects  spoken  by  the 
Indian  race  of  Mexico  in  the  several  parts  of  the 
republic  number  over  one  hundred ;  there  are  sixty 
which  are  known  to  have  become  extinct. 

In  contradistinction  to  the  theories  of  many 
careful  observers,  scientists  have  pointed  to  the 
fact  that  in  all  of  these  native  tongues  not  one 
word  can  be  found  which  gives  indication  of  Asi- 
atic origin. 

While  at  Silao  a  Mexican  sand-spout,  a  visitant 
which  is  very  liable  to  appear  on  the  open  plains 
during  the  dry  season,  struck  in  our  immediate 
vicinity,  followed  by  a  fierce  dust-storm,  which 
lasted  for  about  an  hour,  darkening  the  atmos- 
phere to  a  night-hue  for  miles  around,  and  cover- 
ing every  exposed  article  or  person  with  a  thick 
layer  of  fine  sand.  It  was  necessary  promptly  to 
close  all  doors  and  windows.  Indeed,  a  person 
could  more  easily  face  a  furious  hail-storm  than 
one  of  these  dry  gales  ;  men  and  animals  alike 
sought  shelter  from  its  blinding  fierceness.  So 
men,  horses,  and  camels,  composing  the  caravans 
which  cross  the  desert  of  Sahara,  when  struck 
by  a  sand-storm,  are  obliged  to  throw  themselves 
flat  upon  the  ground,  and  there  remain  until  it  has 
exhausted  its  fury.  The  condition  of  the  soil  at 
Silao  may  be  easily  imagined  when  it  is  remem- 
bered that  rain  had  not  fallen  here  for  seven 
months.  It  was  late  in  March,  but  the  rainy  sea- 
son does  not  begin  until  about  the  last  of  May. 


96  AZTEC  LAND. 

In  this  region  people  do  not  speak  of  summer  and 
winter,  but  of  the  dry  and  the  rainy  seasons,  the 
former  being  reckoned  from  November  to  May, 
and  the  latter  from  June  to  October.  It  should 
not  be  understood  that  it  rains  constantly  in  the 
wet  season.  The  rain  falls  generally  in  pleasant 
showers,  afternoons  and  nights,  leaving  the  morn-- 
ings and  forenoons  bright,  clear,  and  comfortable. 
It  is  really  the  pleasantest  season  of  the  year  on 
the  Mexican  plateau. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Guanajuato.  —  An  Ex-President.  —  Richest  Silver  Mine  in  Mex- 
ico. —  Reducing  the  Ores.  —  Plenty  of  Silver.  —  Open  Sew- 
ers. —  A  Venal  Priesthood.  —  A  Big  Prison.  —  The  Catholic 
Church.  —  Getting  Rid  of  a  Prisoner.  —  The  Frog-Rock.  — 
Idolaters  —  A  Strawberry  Festival  at  Irapuato.  —  Salamanca. 

—  City   of  Queretaro.  —  A  Fine  Old   Capital.  —  Maximilian 
and  His  Fate.  —  A  Charming  Plaza.  —  Mammoth  Cotton  Fac- 
tory. —  The  Maguey  Plant.  —  Pulque  and  Other  Stimulants. 

—  Beautiful  Opals.  —  Honey   Water.  —  Ancient  Tula.  —  A 
Freak  of  Tropical  Weather. 

THE  quaint  old  city  of  Guanajuato,  capital  of 
the  state  bearing  the  same  name,  —  pronounced 
Wan-a-wato,  —  is  situated  nearly  a  thousand  feet 
higher  than  Silao,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
north  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  fifteen  miles  from 
the  main  trunk  of  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad, 
with  which  it  is  connected  by  a  branch  road.  It 
contains  between  fifty  and  sixty  thousand  inhabi- 
tants, and  has  been  a  successful  mining  centre  for 
over  three  hundred  years.  Manuel  Gonzales,  ex- 
president  of  Mexico,  is  the  governor  of  the  state. 
This  man  was  the  Tweed  of  Mexico,  and  one  of 
the  most  venal  officials  ever  trusted  by  the  people. 
He  succeeded,  on  retiring  from  the  presidency, 
in  taking  with  him  of  his  ill-gotten  wealth  several 
millions  of  dollars.  The  astonishing  corruption 
that  reigned  under  his  fostering  care  was  notori- 


98  AZTEC  LAND. 

ous.  In  enriching  himself  and  his  ring  of  adher- 
ents, he  brought  the  treasury  of  the  country  to  the 
very  verge  of  bankruptcy.  It  may  be  mentioned 
that  this  State  of  Guanajuato  is  the  most  densely 
populated  in  the  Mexican  republic.  It  has  an 
area  of  a  trifle  over  twelve  thousand  square  miles, 
or  it  is  about  the  size  of  Massachusetts  and  Con- 
necticut united.  The  town  is  reached  through  the 
suburb  of  Marfil,  along  the  precipitous  sides  of 
whose  mountain  road  large  adobe  and  stone  mills 
are  constructed,  resembling  feudal  castles;  while 
beside  the  roadbed,  broken  by  sharp  acclivities, 
the  small,  muddy,  vile-smelling  river  Guanajuato 
flows  sluggishly  along,  bearing  silver  tailings  away 
from  the  mills  above,  and  wasting  at  least  twenty- 
five  per  cent,  of  the  precious  metal  contained  in 
the  badly  manipulated  ore.  Here  and  there  in 
the  river's  bed  —  the  stream  being  low  —  scores 
of  natives  were  seen  washing  the  earth  which  had 
been  deposited  from  the  mines,  working  knee-deep 
in  the  mud,  and  striving  to  make  at  least  day 
wages,  which  is  here  represented  by  forty  cents. 
Others  were  producing  sun-dried  brick  out  of  the 
clayey  substance,  after  it  had  been  re  washed  by 
the  independent  miners.  This  river  becomes  a  tor- 
rent in  the  rainy  season,  and  owing  to  its  situation 
the  town  is  liable  to  dangerous  inundations,  one  of 
which  occurred  so  late  as  1885,  causing  great  loss 
of  life  and  property.  Creeping  slowly  upward  over 
the  rough  road,  an  abrupt  corner  of  the  gulch  was 
finally  turned,  and  we  suddenly  found  ourself  in 
the  centre  of  the  active  little  city,  so  compactly 
built  that  business  seemed  to  be  overflowing  its 


THE  MINING  BUSINESS.  99 

proper  limits  and  utterly  blocking  the  narrow 
streets.  The  provision  and  fruit  market  was  tres- 
passing on  every  available  passageway.  Curbstone 
and  sidewalk  were  unhesitatingly  monopolized  by 
the  market  people  with  their  wares  spread  out  for 
sale.  In  Guanajuato  is  found  the  richest  vein  of 
silver-bearing  ore  in  the  country,  known  as  the 
Veta  Madre,  and  though  the  most  primitive  modes 
of  mining  and  milling  have  always  been  and  still 
are  pursued  here,  over  eight  hundred  million  dol- 
lars in  the  argentiferous  metal  have  been  realized 
from  this  immediate  vicinity  since  official  record 
has  been  kept  of  the  amount;  and  with  all  this 
Mexico  is  still  poor ! 

The  ore  has  now  to  be  raised  from  a  depth  of 
fifteen  hundred  feet  and  more.  There  are  between 
fifty  and  sixty  crushing  mills  in  operation  at  this 
writing,  reducing  the  silver-bearing  quartz.  Two 
of  the  mills  are  operated  by  Europeans,  who  use 
steam  power  to  some  extent,  but  the  scarcity 
of  fuel  is  a  serious  objection  to  the  employment 
of  steam.  We  saw  scores  of  mules  treading  the 
liquid,  muddy  mass  for  amalgamating  purposes, 
driven  about  in  a  circle  by  men  who  waded  knee- 
deep  while  following  the  weary  animals.  As  these 
huge  vats  contain  quicksilver,  vitriol,  and  other 
poisonous  ingredients,  the  lives  of  men  and  ani- 
mals thus  occupied  are  of  brief  duration.  The 
mules  live  about  four  years,  and  the  men  rarely 
twice  as  long  if  they  continue  in  the  business. 
This  result  is  well  known  to  be  inevitable,  and  yet 
there  are  plenty  of  men  who  eagerly  seek  the 
employment. 


100  AZTEC  LAND. 

Without  going  into  detail  we  may  describe  the 
process  of  obtaining  the  silver  from  the  rocky 
mass  in  a  few  words.  The  ore  is  first  crushed, 
and  by  adding  water  is  made  into  a  thin  paste. 
Many  tons  of  this  are  placed  in  a  huge  vat,  at 
least  a  hundred  feet  square,  and  into  it  are  thrown, 
in  certain  quantities,  sulphate  of  copper,  common 
salt,  and  quicksilver.  Driving  the  animals  thi-ough 
this  mass,  ten  hours  a  day  for  three  or  four  days, 
causes  the  various  ingredients  to  become  thor- 
oughly mingled.  The  quicksilver  finally  gets  hold 
of  and  concentrates  the  coveted  metal.  The  quick- 
silver is  afterwards  extracted  and  reserved  for  con- 
tinued use,  performing  the  same  function  over  and 
over  again.  There  is,  of  course,  a  large  percent- 
age of  quicksilver  lost  in  the  operation,  and  its 
employment  in  such  quantities  forms  one  of  the 
heavy  expenses  of  milling. 

The  mills  are  semi-fortresses,  having  often  been 
compelled  to  resist  the  attacks  of  banditti,  who 
have  ever  been  ready  to  organize  a  descent  upon 
any  place  where  portable  treasure  is  accumulated. 
We  were  told,  on  good  authority,  that  every  ton 
of  raw  material  handled  here  yields  on  an  average 
thirty-three  dollars.  This  figure  our  informant 
qualified  by  the  remark  that  it  was  the  average  un- 
der ordinary  circumstances.  Sometimes  the  miners 
strike  what  is  called  a  bonanza,  and  for  a  while 
ore  is  raised  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  which 
will  produce  five  times  this  amount  to  the  ton ;  but 
after  a  short  time  the  yield  will  return  to  its  nor- 
mal condition.  Occasionally,  but  this  is  rare,  nug- 
gets of  pure  or  nearly  pure  silver  are  found 


GUANAJUATO.  101 

weighing  from  fifteen  to  twenty  pounds  each. 
The  process  of  milling  here  is  slow,  tedious,  and 
wasteful.  The  scientific  knowledge  brought  to 
bear  upon  the  business  in  the  United  States  is  not 
heeded  in  Mexico,  and  yet  these  people  obtain 
remarkably  favorable  results.  The  fact  is,  the 
precious  metal  is  so  very  abundant,  and  the  profits 
so  satisfactory,  that  the  managers  and  owners  grow 
careless,  having  little  incentive  to  spur  them  on  to 
adopt  more  economical  and  productive  methods. 
An  intelligent  overseer  of  a  mine  at  Guanajuato 
said  to  us  in  reply  to  a  question  relating  to  the 
usual  process  of  milling  in  Mexico :  "  We  get 
probably  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  silver  contained  in 
the  raw  ore  which  we  handle,  and  that  is  about  all 
we  can  expect."  On  being  asked  if  the  men  whom 
we  saw  working  in  the  open  bed  of  the  river,  far 
below  the  mills,  did  not  obtain  good  results,  the 
superintendent  replied,  "  They  succeed  best  in  get- 
ting part  of  the  quicksilver  which  has  been  carried 
away  in  the  process,  which  they  sell  to  us  again." 
These  men,  we  observed,  worked  mostly  with 
shovels  and  earthen  pans,  or  with  their  hands  and 
a  flat,  shingle-like  piece  of  wood. 

Guanajuato  is  built  on  the  sides  of  a  deep,  broad 
gorge,  surrounded  by  rolling  hills,  the  ravine,  the 
mouth  of  which  commences  at  Marfil,  being  ter- 
raced on  either  side  to  make  room  for  adobe  dwell- 
ings. Here  and  there  a  patch  of  green  is  to  be 
seen,  a  graceful  pepper  tree,  an  orange,  or  stately 
cypress  relieving  the  cheerless,  arid  scene.  The 
narrow,  irregular  streets  are  roughly  paved ;  but 
the  clouds  of  dust  which  one  encounters  in  the  dry 


102  AZTEC  LAND. 

season  are  almost  suffocating.  Now  and  then  a 
few  potted  flowers  in  front  of  a  low  cabin,  a  bird 
cage  with  its  chirping  occupant,  a  noisy  parrot  on 
an  exposed  perch,  a  dozing  cat  before  the  door,  all 
afford  glimpses  of  domesticity ;  but,  on  the  whole, 
this  mining  town,  rich  in  native  silver,  gave  us  in 
its  humbler  portions  the  impression  of  being  mostly 
composed  of  people  half  clothed  and  seemingly  but 
half  fed. 

The  city  has  an  alameda  and  a  plaza.  The  lat- 
ter, in  the  centre  of  the  town,  is  decorated  with 
bright-colored  flowers,  tall  palm  trees,  and  has  a 
music  pagoda  in  its  centre.  This  plaza  has  an  ele- 
vation of  over  six  thousand  eight  hundred  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea.  What  a  queer  old  city 
it  is,  with  its  steep,  narrow,  twisted  streets!  It 
might  be  a  bit  abstracted  from  Moorish  Tangier, 
or  from  the  narrow  thoroughfares  of  Granada,  close 
by  the  banks  of  the  turbulent  Darro. 

The  occupation  of  three  fourths  of  the  people  is 
naturally  connected  with  the  mines,  and  it  may  be 
said  to  be  an  industrious  community.  The  pulque 
shops  are  many,  far  too  many ;  but  there  was  no 
intoxication  noticed  on  the  streets.  The  open 
sewers  render  the  death  rate  unusually  high  in 
Guanajuato,  where  typhoid  fever  and  pneumonia 
were  particularly  prevalent  during  our  visit.  In- 
deed, the  place  is  notoriously  unhealthy.  There 
are  many  excellent  oil  paintings  hung  in  the 
churches  and  chapels,  representing,  of  course, 
scriptural  subjects,  including  one  of  the  much- 
abused  St.  Sebastian.  There  are  two  or  three 
primary  and  advanced  schools  supported  by  the 


THE  CHURCHES.  103 

municipality ;  but  these,  we  were  told,  were  bit- 
terly opposed  by  the  priests.  We  speak  often  and 
earnestly  concerning  the  malign  influence  of  the 
priesthood,  because  no  one  can  travel  in  Mexico 
without  having  the  fact  constantly  forced  upon 
him,  at  every  turn,  that  its  members  and  their 
church  are,  and  have  been  for  nearly  four  centu- 
ries, the  visible  curse  of  the  country.  The  most 
interesting  of  the  many  churches  is  the  Compania, 
which  has  a  choice  group  of  bells  in  its  cupola,  and 
an  unusually  excellent  collection  of  paintings, 
among  them  a  series  illustrating  the  life  of  the 
Virgin,  by  an  unknown  artist,  besides  two  fine 
canvases  by  Cabrera.  Bat  one  grows  fastidious 
in  visiting  so  many  of  these  churches  as  he  ap- 
proaches the  capital,  and  becomes  satisfied  with 
examining  the  cathedral  in  each  new  city.  The 
whole  country  is  strewn  with  these  costly  and  com- 
paratively useless  temples,  many  of  which  are 
gradually  crumbling  to  dust,  and  nearly  all  of 
which  are  dirty  beyond  description.  Immediately 
after  the  Spanish  conquest  a  rage  possessed  the 
victors  to  build  churches,  without  regard  to  the 
necessary  population  for  their  support,  perhaps 
hoping  thereby  to  propitiate  heaven  for  their  rapa- 
ciousness  and  outrageous  oppression  of  the  native 
race.  The  criminal  extortion  exercised  by  the 
priesthood  and  their  followers  forms  a  dark  blot 
upon  the  escutcheon  of  both  the  church  and  the 
state.  O  Christianity,  as  Madame  Roland  said 
of  Liberty,  "  what  atrocities  have  been  committed 
in  thy  name !  " 

Charles   Lempriere,    D.  C.   L.,  an  able  writer 


104  AZTEC  LAND. 

upon  Mexico,  says:  "The  Mexican  church,  as  a 
church,  fills  no  mission  of  virtue,  no  mission  of 
morality,  no  mission  of  mercy,  no  mission  of  char- 
ity. Virtue  cannot  exist  in  its  pestiferous  atmos- 
phere. The  cause  of  morality  does  not  come 
within  its  practice.  It  knows  no  mercy,  and  no 
emotion  of  charity  ever  nerves  the  stony  heart  of 
the  priesthood,  which,  with  an  avarice  that  knows 
no  limit,  filches  the  last  penny  from  the  diseased 
and  dying  beggar,  plunders  the  widow  and  orphans 
of  their  substance  as  well  as  their  virtue,  and  casts 
such  a  horoscope  of  horrors  around  the  deathbed 
of  the  dying  millionaire,  that  the  poor,  supersti- 
tious wretch  is  glad  to  purchase  a  chance  for  the 
safety  of  his  soul  in  making  the  church  the  heir  of 
his  treasures." 

Many  of  the  better  class  of  houses  in  the  upper 
portion  of  Guanajuato,  some  of  which  are  ex- 
tremely attractive,  are  built  from  a  peculiar  sand- 
stone quarried  in  the  neighborhood,  which  is  of 
many  colors,  giving  the  fronts  an  odd,  but  not 
unpleasant  appearance.  The  balconies  of  these 
dwellings  are  rendered  lovely  by  a  great  variety  of 
creeping  vines  and  flowers  in  blossom.  Among 
these  the  honeysuckle  prevailed,  often  shading 
pleasant  family  groups,  and  forming  tableaux  in 
strong  contrast  with  the  more  humble  and  popu- 
lous portions  of  the  town.  In  this  part  of  the  city, 
where  the  gorge  widens,  a  large  reservoir  has  been 
constructed  which  gets  its  supply  of  water  from 
the  mountain  streams,  and  affords  the  necessary 
article  in  the  dry  season.  Along  either  side  of 
these  reservoirs,  for  there  is  a  succession  of  them, 


A  PRISON.  105 

are  situated  the  pleasantest  residences.  These  are 
so  charmingly  adapted  to  the  locality,  and  depart 
so  far  from  the  conventional  Mexican  style,  as  to 
cause  one  to  think  some  American  or  English 
architect  had  been  exercising  his  skill  and  taste 
in  the  neighborhood.  They  recalled  some  of  the 
lovely  villas  one  sees  near  Sorrento  and  along  the 
shores  of  the  Bay  of  Amalfi,  in  southern  Italy. 

The  spacious  and  ancient  structure  known  as  the 
Alhondiga  de  Granaditas,  situated  on  elevated 
ground,  dominates  the  whole  city.  It  was  erected 
a  century  and  more  ago,  and  designed  for  a  com- 
mercial exchange,  but  it  has  since  been  greatly 
altered,,  and  served  as  a  fortification  in  the  civil 
wars.  It  is  to-day  occupied  for  the  purposes  of  a 
prison,  where  convicts  are  judiciously  taught  vari- 
ous mechanical  trades.  The  view  from  the  summit 
of  this  rude  old  building  takes  in  the  town,  the 
long,  narrow  gulch,  the  gray  and  rugged  hills 
which  reach  upward  towards  the  deep  blue  sky, 
dotted  here  and  there  by  the  yellow  dome  of  some 
ancient  church,  and  an  occasional  cypress  or  grace- 
ful palm  striving  to  redeem  the  surrounding  bar- 
renness. In  the  prison  yard,  where  the  convicts 
seem  to  be  permitted  to  roam  at  their  own  pleasui'e, 
hens,  chickens,  and  turkeys  were  seen  dodging  in 
and  out  among  the  feet  of  the  prisoners,  with  whom 
they  were  apparently  on  the  best  of  terms. 

One  could  not  but  think  that  a  large  number  of 
these  prisoners  were  probably  better  off  as  to  crea- 
ture comforts  than  when  at  liberty  and  following 
their  own  behests.  They  eat,  sleep,  and  work  to- 
gether at  light  occupations,  and  no  attempt  is  made 


106  AZTEC  LAND. 

to  keep  them  from  communicating  with  each  other. 
They  have  good  air,  light,  and  better  food  on  the 
average  than  they  have  been  accustomed  to  when 
providing  for  themselves,  and  they  are  allowed  to 
keep  a  part  of  their  own  earnings.  They  are  per- 
mitted good  bathing  facilities,  and  to  play  checkers 
or  any  other  small  games  during  their  off  hours,  as 
they  term  the  portions  of  the  day  in  which  disci- 
pline requires  no  regular  service  of  them.  We  be- 
came interested  in  the  case  of  an  intelligent  Ameri- 
can who  was  held  as  a  prisoner  here.  He  had  been 
confined  for  nearly  two  years  without  a  trial,  for 
which  he  was  earnestly  begging.  The  charge 
against  him  was  that  he  had  been  connected  with 
some  Mexicans  in  the  robbery  of  a  railroad  train, 
but  of  which  he  declared  himself  entirely  innocent. 
Whether  innocent  or  guilty,  he  was  entitled  to  a 
fair  trial.  Our  party  took  the  matter  in  hand,  sup' 
plied  the  man  with  proper  pecuniary  means,  inter- 
ested our  local  consul  in  his  behalf,  and  brought 
the  matter  to  the  attention  of  the  American  min- 
ister to  Mexico,  finally  obtaining  assurance  that 
justice  should  be  obtained  for  the  prisoner. 

Though  these  places  of  confinement  are  con- 
ducted with  apparent  looseness,  still  the  escape  of 
an  inmate  rarely  takes  place  unless  it  is  connived 
at  by  the  officials.  The  bullet  is  very  swift  in 
Mexico,  as  already  instanced,  and  a  man  who  at- 
tempts to  escape  from  legal  restraint  is  instantly 
shot  without  the  least  hesitation  on  the  part  of  the 
guard,  no  matter  for  what  he  may  be  confined, 
even  though  held  only  for  a  witness.  In  well-au- 
thenticated cases,  where  it  was  considered  desirable 


A  NEW  THEATRE.  107 

to  get  rid  of  an  inmate  without  the  form  of  a  trial, 
which  perhaps  might  compromise  some  favored  in- 
dividual, opportunity  was  afforded  the  prisoner  to 
escape ;  the  temptation  was  too  strong,  he  could 
not  resist  it ;  but  scarcely  had  he  broken  the 
bounds  before  the  fatal  lead  laid  him  low  in  death. 
The  place  was  pointed  out  to  us  on  these  prison 
walls  where  the  head  of  the  Indian  patriot  Hidalgo 
was  exposed  upon  a  spear  point  by  the  Spanish 
governor  of  the  place,  until  it  crumbled  to  dust  by 
the  action  of  the  elements. 

Quite  a  pretentious  theatre  of  stone  is  in  course 
of  erection  just  opposite  the  little  Plaza  de  Mejia 
Mora.  The  dozen  large  stone  pillars  of  the  facade 
were  already  in  place,  and  there  are  other  evi- 
dences that  when  finished  it  will  be  a  spacious  and 
elegant  structure.  We  say  when  finished,  but  that 
will  not  be  this  year,  or  next,  probably  ;  building, 
like  everything  else  in  this  country,  is  slow  of  pro- 
gress. The  significant  Spanish  word  manana  is  on 
everybody's  lips,  and  expresses  a  ruling  principle, 
nothing  being  done  to-day  which  can  possibly  be 
put  off  until  to-morrow. 

The  somewhat  singular  name  of  the  city  is  from 
guanashuato,  an  Indian  word  in  the  Tarrascan 
tongue,  which  signifies  "  hill  of  the  frogs,"  a  name 
given  to  the  place  by  the  aborigines  because  of  a 
huge  rocky  mound  which  resembles  a  frog,  and 
forms  a  prominent  object  in  the  immediate  envi- 
rons. With  their  idolatrous  instinct  the  early 
natives  made  this  peculiar  rock  an  object  of  wor- 
ship, and,  it  is  said,  offered  human  sacrifices  at  its 
base.  No  doubt  these  tribes  were  sincere,  and 


108  AZTEC  LAND. 

positive  in  proportion  to  their  ignorance,  —  the 
idol  is  but  the  type  of  the  worshiper's  intelligence. 
In  visiting  the  Temple  of  Hanan,  at  Canton,  we 
find  to-day,  a  number  of  "  sacred  "  hogs  wallowing 
in  dirt.  The  Parsee  still  worships  fire  ;  the  un- 
educated Japanese  bows  before  snakes  and  foxes ; 
the  Hindoo  deifies  cows  and  monkeys.  Why  should 
we  wonder,  then,  that  the  Toltecs  worshiped  idols 
a  thousand  years  ago  ? 

While  looking  upon  the  strange  stone  images, 
large  and  small,  in  the  museum  of  the  national 
capital,  which  the  ancient  people  who  possessed 
this  land  erected  and  worshiped,  one  cannot  avoid 
forming  a  very  low  estimate  of  such  a  race.  Their 
deities  were  not  only  hideous,  but  were  made  in 
the  crudest  possible  manner,  without  one  correct 
line  of  anatomy  or  physiognomy,  and  represented 
utterly  impossible  beings  in  equally  impossible  at- 
titudes. They  are,  however,  of  growing  interest, 
and  invaluable  as  mementoes  of  a  vanished  race. 

After  returning  to  Silao,  we  resume  our  jour- 
ney southward  on  the  main  line  of  the  Mexican 
Central  Railroad,  crossing  the  State  of  Guana- 
juato through  a  fertile  and  well-cultivated  region, 
in  strong  contrast  to  much  of  the  country  left 
behind.  At  Irapuato,  an  unimportant,  dingy,  di- 
lapidated little  town,  nineteen  miles  from  Silao, 
is  the  junction  of  the  trunk  line  and  a  branch 
road  to  Guadalajara,  which  city  we  shall  visit  on 
our  return  trip  northward.  Irapuato  is  pleasantly 
remembered  by  all  travelers  in  Mexico,  being  noted 
for  the  fact  that  fresh  ripe  strawberries  are  sold 
on  the  railway  trains  by  the  inhabitants  every  day 


STRAWBERRIES.  109 

in  the  year.  Strangers  never  pass  this  point  with- 
out enjoying  a  strawberry  picnic,  as  it  may  be 
called,  every  one  purchasing  more  or  less.  Even 
the  train-hands  would  rebel  were  they  not  permit- 
ted to  tarry  long  enough  to  enjoy  the  one  luxury 
of  the  place.  The  delicious  berries  are  supplied 
by  native  men  and  women  with  wild-looking, 
swarthy  faces,  who  hand  them  to  the  travelers 
in  neat,  plain  baskets  which  hold  nearly  two 
quarts  each.  Basket  and  strawberries  together 
are  sold  for  twenty-five  cents.  The  top  layer  of 
the  fruit  is  carefully  selected,  and  most  tempting 
to  look  upon,  the  berries  being  shrewdly  "  dea- 
coned," —  a  fact  of  which  the  purchaser  becomes 
aware  when  he  has  consumed  the  first  portion. 
However,  all  are  eatable  and  most  grateful  to  the 
taste.  Human  nature  is  very  much  the  same  in 
trade,  whether  exhibited  in  Faneuil  Hall  Market, 
Boston,  or  at  Irapuato  in  Mexico.  The  deaconing 
process  is  not  unknown  in  Massachusetts.  Nice, 
marketable  strawberries  could  be  forwarded  from 
Irapuato  to  Chicago  and  all  intermediate  cities,  so- 
as  to  be  sold  in  our  markets  in  good  condition 
every  day  in  the  year,  by  means  of  the  present 
complete  railway  connections.  The  industry  of 
producing  them  would  be  stimulated  by  an  organ- 
ized effort  to  its  best  performance,  and  all  con- 
cerned would  be  benefited. 

About  a  dozen  miles  beyond  the  junction,  we 
arrive  at  Salamanca,  a  small  but  thriving  city. 
Here,  in  the  Church  of  San  Augustin,  are  some 
elaborate  wooden  altars  of  such  beautiful  work- 
manship as  to  have  a  national  reputation.  These 


110  AZTEC  LAND. 

carvings  are  by  native  workmen,  and  evince  an 
artistic  taste  and  facility  which  one  would  hardly 
expect  to  find  among  a  people  so  uncultured  as  the 
laboring  class  of  Mexico.  There  is  genius  enough 
lying  dormant  in  the  country ;  it  only  lacks  develop- 
ment. The  principal  industry  of  the  town  is  the 
manufacture  of  buckskin  garments  and  gloves. 
Twenty  miles  further  southward  is  the  thriving 
city  of  Celaya,  in  the  charming  valley  of  the  Laja, 
with  about  twenty  thousand  population.  The  town 
is  situated  nearly  two  miles  from  the  river,  in  the 
State  of  Guanajuato,  and  contains  extensive  cotton 
and  woolen  mills,  with  the  usual  abundance  of 
Roman  Catholic  churches.  There  are  quite  a 
number  of  buildings  in  Celaya,  both  public  and 
private,  which  evince  notable  architectural  beauty. 
These  were  erected  after  the  design  of  a  local 
Michael  Angelo,  —  a  native  architect,  sculptor, 
and  painter  named  Tresguerras.  Finally  we  ar- 
rive at  Queretaro  (pronounced  Ka-ret-a-ro),  the 
capital  of  the  state  of  the  same  name,  situated 
a  little  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north- 
west of  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  having  a  popu- 
lation of  about  fifty  thousand.  This  is  generally 
admitted  to  be  the  most  attractive  city,  in  its  gen- 
eral effect  upon  the  stranger,  of  any  in  the  republic 
outside  of  the  valley  of  Mexico,  though  we  unhesi- 
tatingly place  Puebla  before  it.  It  was  here,  in 
1848,  that  the  Mexican  Congress  ratified  the  treaty 
of  peace  with  the  United  States.  Perhaps  some 
of  the  readers  of  these  pages  will  remember  with 
what  distinguished  honors  Mr.  Seward  was  received 
in  this  city  during  his  visit  to  Mexico  in  1869. 


QUERETARO.  Ill 

Queretaro  was  founded  by  the  Aztecs  about  four 
hundred  years  ago,  and  was  captured  by  the  Span 
iards  in  1531.  It  contains  numerous  fine  stone 
buildings,  mostly  of  a  religious  character,  and  has 
some  very  spacious  public  squares.  A  grand  stone 
aqueduct  over  five  miles  long  brings  a  bountiful 
supply  of  good  water  from  the  neighboring  moun- 
tains. The  lofty,  substantial  masonry  of  the  aque- 
duct reminds  one  of  similar  works  which  cross  the 
Campagna  at  Rome,  and  those  in  the  environs  of 
Cairo.  This  work  must  have  been  originally  a  tre- 
mendous undertaking,  many  of  the  arches,  where 
ravines  and  natural  undulations  are  crossed,  being 
nearly  a  hundred  feet  in  height.  The  cost  of  the 
aqueduct  is  said  to  have  been  borne  by  a  single 
individual,  to  whose  memory  the  citizens  have 
erected  a  statue  on  one  of  the  plazas.  The  water- 
supply  thus  brought  into  the  town  feeds  a  dozen  or 
more  large,  bright,  crystal  fountains  in  different 
sections,  around  which  picturesque  groups  of  water- 
carriers  of  both  sexes  are  constantly  seen  filling 
their  jars  for  domestic  uses.  To  an  American  eye 
there  is  a  sort  of  Rip- Van- Winkle  look  about  the 
grass-grown  streets  of  Queretaro.  We  are  here 
some  six  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  but  the  place 
enjoys  a  most  equable  and  temperate  climate.  It 
was  in  the  suburbs  of  this  city  that  Maximilian 
and  his  two  trusted  generals,  Mejia  and  Miramon, 
the  latter  ex-president  of  the  republic,  were  shot 
by  order  of  a  Mexican  court-martial,  notwithstand- 
ing the  appeal  for  mercy  in  their  behalf  by  more 
than  one  European  power,  in  which  the  United 
States  government  also  joined.  The  Princess  Salm- 


112  AZTEC  LAND. 

Salm  rode  across  country  on  horseback  a  distance 
of  over  one  hundred  miles,  to  implore  Juarez  to 
spare  the  life  of  Maximilian ;  but  it  was  in  vain. 
Juarez  was  obliged  to  look  at  the  matter  in  a  po- 
litical light,  whatever  his  own  inclination  towards 
clemency  may  have  been,  and  therefore  refused  to 
annul  the  sentence  of  death.  Putting  all  senti- 
mentality aside,  it  seems  to  the  author  that  Maxi- 
milian justly  merited  the  fate  which  he  so  system- 
atically provoked.  The  measure  which  he  meted 
to  others  was  in  turn  accorded  to  himself.  He 
issued  a  decree  that  every  officer  taken  in  arms 
against  his  self-assumed  authority  should  be 
promptly  shot  without  trial.  This  is  considered 
admissible  in  the  case  of  professed  highwaymen 
and  banditti,  but  such  an  order  issued  against  a 
large  body  of  organized  natives  who  sincerely  be- 
lieved themselves  fighting  for  national  liberty  was 
unprecedented  and  uncalled  for.  This  order  was 
enforced  in  the  instance  of  some  noted  patriot 
leaders.  The  Mexican  generals  Arteaga  and  Sa- 
lazar,  with  Villagomez  and  Felix  Diaz,  who  were 
ignorant  of  the  existence  of  any  such  order  or 
determination,  were  all  shot  at  Uruapam,  October 
21.  1865.  When  Maximilian  was  himself  taken 
prisoner,  the  like  summary  punishment  became 
his  just  award.  In  the  state  legislative  palace 
of  Queretaro  we  were  shown  the  table  on  which 
the  death  sentence  was  signed  by  the  members  of 
the  court-martial,  the  coffin  in  which  Maximilian's 
body  was  brought  from  the  place  of  execution,  and 
a  fine  oil  painting  representing  the  late  would-be 
emperor. 


CARLOTTA.        „  113 

All  strangers  who  visit  the  city  are  taken  out  to 
the  grounds  where  the  execution  took  place.  One 
naturally  regards  the  spot  with  considerable  inter- 
est. It  is  marked  by  three  rude  stones  within  an 
iron-railed  inclosure,  each  stone  bearing  the  name 
of  one  of  the  victims,  in  the  order  in  which  they 
stood  before  the  firing  party  on  the  Cerro  de  los 
Campafias,  two  miles  from  the  city  proper.  It 
seemed  serene  and  peaceful  enough  as  we  looked 
upon  the  locality,  surrounded  by  highly  cultivated 
fields,  dotted  here  and  there  by  sheep  and  cattle 
quietly  grazing  in  the  calm,  genial  sunshine. 

The  whole  of  the  Archduke's  Mexican  purpose 
and  career  was  a  great  and  absurd  political  blun- 
der. Personally  he  was  a  pure  and  honest  man, 
though  a  very  weak  one.  He  never  possessed 
mental  power  equal  to  that  of  his  wife,  who  won 
from  the  Mexicans  unbounded  and  deserved  praise 
by  her  devotion  to  her  husband  and  to  the  public 
good.  Carlotta  freely  expended  her  private  for- 
tune for  the  relief  of  the  poor  of  the  national 
capital,  and  in  the  founding  of  a  much  needed  and 
grand  free  hospital  for  women.  When  Maximil- 
ian received  notice  that  Napoleon  III.  was  about 
to  desert  him  and  his  cause,  he  was  absolutely 
discouraged,  and  would  have  resigned  at  once  and 
returned  to  Europe  ;  but  his  courageous  wife  dis- 
suaded him.  She  started  the  very  next  day  for 
Vera  Cruz,  on  her  way  to  induce  the  French  em- 
peror to  keep  his  word  and  hold  sacred  the  treaty 
of  Miramar.  In  vain  did  she  plead  with  Napoleon, 
being  only  insulted  for  her  trouble  ;  nor  was  she 
received  much  better  by  the  Pope,  Pius  IX.  Dis- 


114  AZTEC  LAND. 

appointment  met  her  everywhere.  The  physical 
and  mental  strain  proved  too  much  for  Carlotta. 
Brain  fever  ensued,  and  upon  her  partial  recovery 
it  was  found  that  she  was  bereft  of  reason.  More 
than  twenty  years  have  passed  since  the  faithful 
wife  was  thus  stricken,  nor  has  reason  yet  dawned 
upon  her  benighted  brain. 

After  three  years  of  ceaseless  struggle,  Maxi- 
milian had  grown  desperately  weary,  in  a  vain  ef- 
fort to  reconcile  the  various  political  factions  of  the 
country,  so  that  to  one  in  his  condition  of  broken 
health  and  disappointment,  death  must  have  been 
a  relief  from  mental  and  physical  suffering.  His 
body  rests  at  last  in  the  burial  place  of  the  Haps- 
burgs,  thousands  of  miles  from  the  spot  where  he 
fell,  while  those  of  Mejia  and  Miramon  lie  in  the 
Campo  Santo  of  San  Fernando  in  the  city  of 
Mexico.  The  broad  view  from  this  "  Hill  of  the 
Bells  "  is  very  beautiful,  and  it  lives  vividly  in  the 
memory,  taking  in  the  green  valley  in  every  direc- 
tion, spread  with  fields  of  undulating  grain  ready 
for  the  reapers,  ornamented  with  umbrageous  trees, 
the  city  with  its  mass  of  towers,  domes,  and  stone 
dwellings  forming  the  background.  A  score  of 
ancient  churches,  convents,  and  chapels  may  be 
counted  from  the  hill-top.  The  alameda  lies  on 
one  side  of  the  town,  consisting  of  some  fifty  or 
sixty  acres  nearly  square,  about  which  a  broad 
driveway  is  arranged,  the  whole  charmingly  laid 
out,  with  greensward  and  noble  shade  trees.  The 
Church  of  the  Cross  is  on  slightly  elevated  ground, 
and  forms  a  conspicuous  architectural  feature  in 
the  general  view.  It  was  in  this  structure  that 


THE  PLAZA    OF  qUERETARO.  115 

Maximilian  made  his  headquarters,  which  he  par- 
tially fortified,  and  where,  after  a  protracted  siege, 
he  was  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies  ; 
from  this  place  he  marched  to  execution  on  the 
19th  of  June,  1867. 

The  Plaza  Mayor  of  Queretaro  is  a  beauty  and 
a  joy  forever,  with  its  musical  fountain  uttering 
ceaseless  and  refreshing  notes,  its  tropical  verdure, 
its  tufted  palms  and  flowering  shrubs,  its  fruitful 
banana  trees,  pomegranates,  and  fragrant  roses. 
Here  Maximilian  was  accustomed  to  pass  an  hour 
daily,  and  here,  we  were  told,  he  took  his  evening 
recreation,  his  favorite  seat  being  upon  the  curb- 
stone of  the  capacious  fountain.  The  besiegers 
discovered  the  fact,  directing  shot  and  shell  ac- 
cordingly at  this  special  point,  and  though  the  em- 
peror was  unharmed  by  the  missiles,  a  monumental 
statue  situated  within  a  few  feet  of  him  was  shat- 
tered to  pieces.  In  the  sunny  afternoons  the 
pretty  senoritas  come  to  the  plaza  with  their  heads 
and  necks  lightly  shrouded  in  Spanish  veils,  and 
otherwise  clothed  in  diaphanous  garments,  short 
enough  to  show  their  shapely  ankles  in  white 
hose,  and  their  small  feet  in  high-heeled,  pointed 
slippers.  He  must  be  indeed  calloused  who  can 
withstand,  unmoved,  the  battery  of  their  witching 
eyes. 

There  is  a  large  cotton  factory  about  two  miles 
from  the  city,  known  as  "The  Hercules  Mills," 
having  over  twenty  thousand  spindles,  and  nearly 
a  thousand  looms.  The  machinery  was  imported 
from  this  country.  A  colossal  marble  statue  of 
Hercules  is  seen  presiding  over  one  of  the  large 


116  AZTEC  LAND. 

fountains,  in  the  midst  of  ornamental  trees  and 
flowers.  This  statue  cost  fourteen  thousand  dol- 
lars before  it  left  Italy.  The  mill  gives  employ- 
ment to  some  twelve  or  fourteen  hundred  natives, 
mostly  women  and  girls.  One  of  the  young  sons 
of  the  house  of  Rubio,  the  family  name  of  those 
who  own  this  property,  went  to  England  years  ago, 
and  learned  the  trade  of  cotton  spinning.  This 
industry  as  now  carried  on  was  established  by  him, 
and  is  still  conducted  by  the  same  manager,  Don 
Cayetano  Rubio.  The  excellent  system  of  the  es- 
tablishment would  do  credit  to  a  Lowell  or  Law- 
rence factory ;  indeed,  almost  any  similar  establish- 
ment might  take  a  favorable  lesson  from  this  at 
Queretaro.  The  immediate  surroundings  form  a 
well-arranged  and  fragrant  flower  garden,  orna- 
mented with  fountains  and  statuary,  with  fruit 
trees,  where  the  employees  are  all  welcome,  and  the 
sweet  fragrance  of  which  they  can  enjoy  even 
during  the  working  hours.  Wages,  to  be  sure,  are 
insignificant,  being  only  about  forty  cents  a  day  for 
each  competent  operative,  and  the  hours  are  long, 
twelve  out  of  each  twenty-four  being  devoted  to 
work ;  but  as  wages  go  in  Mexico  this  is  consid- 
ered to  be  a  fair  rate,  with  which  all  are  content. 
We  were  told  that  a  portion  of  the  cotton  used  in 
the  mill  comes  from  Vera  Cruz,  that  is,  the  short 
staple ;  the  long  comes  mostly  from  the  Pacific 
coast ;  while  fully  half  of  the  raw  material  is  im- 
ported from  the  United  States.  The  fibre  of  the 
Mexican  cotton  is  longer,  and  not  so  soft  as  the 
American  product ;  but  the  cotton  raised  in  some 
parts  of  the  republic  has  this  remarkable  property, 


COTTON  MILLS.  117 

that  for  several  consecutive  seasons  the  plant  con- 
tinues to  bear  profitable  crops,  while  in  our  South- 
ern States  the  soil  must  not  only  be  fertilized,  but 
the  seed  must  also  be  renewed  annually.  The  cot- 
ton plant  is  indigenous  to  Mexico,  and  is  more 
prolific  in  its  yield  than  it  is  with  our  Southern 
planters.  It  is  the  same  with  cotton  as  with  wool ; 
though  quite  able  to  do  so,  Mexico  does  not  at 
present  grow  enough  of  either  staple  to  supply 
her  own  mills,  or  produce  enough  of  the  manu- 
factured article  to  furnish  the  home  market.  Both 
water  and  steam  power  are  employed  as  motors  in 
the  Hercules  Mill.  The  overshot  wheel  used  in 
the  former  connection  is  a  monster  in  size,  being 
forty-six  feet  in  diameter.  Such  has  heretofore 
been  the  disturbed  condition  of  the  country  that  it 
has  been  found  necessary  to  organize  and  maintain 
a  regular  company  of  soldiers,  with  ample  barracks 
inside  the  walls,  to  defend  the  property  of  the 
mill ;  and  it  has  three  times  repulsed  formidable 
attacks  made  upon  the  well-fortified  walls  and 
gates  which  surround  it. 

Catholic  churches  and  priests  form,  as  usual  in 
all  Spanish  towns,  a  prominent  feature  of  the 
neighborhood ;  and  we  are  sorry  to  say  that  beg- 
gars are  very  importuning  and  numerous.  It  is 
the  same  in  Spain  and  in  Italy  as  it  is  in  Mexico, 
—  where  the  priests  abound,  beggars  do  much 
more  abound. 

In  the  environs  of  Queretaro  one  sees  immense 
plantations  devoted  to  the  growth  of  the  maguey 
plant,  from  which  the  national  beverage  is  manu- 
factured. Pulque  is  to  the  Mexican  what  claret  is 


118  AZTEC  LAND. 

to  the  Frenchman,  or  beer  to  the  German,  being 
simply  the  fermented  juice  of  the  aloe.  It  is  said 
that  it  was  first  discovered  here,  though  its  advent 
is  attributed  to  many  other  towns  in  Mexico ;  but 
it  is  certain  that  either  the  process  of  manufacture 
here  is  superior  to  that  of  most  other  localities,  or 
the  plant  grown  here  possesses  peculiar  properties, 
as  it  commands  the  market.  When  we  consider 
the  matter,  it  is  surprising  to  recall  the  number  of 
uses  to  which  the  maguey  plant  is  put.  Paper  is 
made  from  the  fibre  of  the  leaves,  as  well  as  twine 
and  rope  ;  its  thorns  answer  for  native  pins  and 
needles ;  the  roots  are  used  by  the  Indians  in  place 
of  soap  ;  the  young  sprouts  are  eaten  after  being 
slightly  roasted  ;  while  in  the  dried  form  the  leaves 
are  used  both  for  fuel  and  for  thatching  the  native 
cabins.  The  maguey  plant  has  been  called  the 
miracle  of  nature,  on  account  of  the  large  number 
of  articles  which  are  made  from  it  and  the  variety 
of  uses  to  which  it  is  adapted.  It  may  be  added 
that  of  all  these  properties  of  the  agave  the  early 
Toltecs  were  fully  aware,  and  improved  them  for 
their  own  benefit.  We  have  measured  specimens 
of  the  well  developed  plant,  the  leaves  of  which 
were  eight  feet  in  length,  a  foot  in  width,  and 
eight  inches  in  thickness.  When  the  maguey  is 
about  seven  or  eight  years  old  it  is  at  its  best  for 
the  production  of  the  desired  liquor,  and  is  tapped 
for  the  milk-like  sap,  of  which  it  yields  from  two 
quarts  to  a  gallon  daily  for  three  or  four  months. 
This  natural  liquor  is  then  called  agua  miel,  or 
honey  water,  but  when  it  has  gone  through  the 
process  of  fermentation  it  becomes  pulque.  If 


THE  MAGUEY  PLANT.  119 

the  plant  is  left  to  itself,  at  about  ten  years  of  age 
there  springs  up  from  the  centre  of  the  leaves  a 
tall  stem,  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  in  height,  which 
bears  upon  its  apex  clusters  of  rich  yellow  flowers, 
and  then  the  whole  withers  and  dies,  —  it  never 
blooms  but  once.  The  maguey  plant  constituted 
the  real  vineyards  of  the  Aztecs,  as  well  as  the 
tribes  preceding  them,  its  product  being  the  drink 
of  the  people  of  the  country  long  before  the  days 
of  the  Montezumas.  At  this  writing,  over  eighty 
thousand  gallons  of  pulque  are  consumed  daily  in 
the  national  capital.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  as  we 
have  seen  it  announced,  that  an  American  com- 
pany propose  to  go  into  the  business  of  pulque 
making  by  the  use  of  improved  facilities,  claiming 
that  it  can  be  produced  by  the  use  of  this  ma- 
chinery at  one  half  the  present  cost,  the  plants  be- 
ing also  made  to  yield  more  copiously.  Of  course 
it  will  be  adulterated,  every  intoxicant  is,  except 
pulque  as  at  present  made  from  the  maguey  by 
the  Indians. 

The  Mexicans  have  two  other  forms  of  spirit- 
uous liquors,  namely  mescal,  which  is  also  pre- 
pared from  another  species  of  the  maguey,  by  press- 
ing the  leaves  in  a  mill,  the  juice  thus  extracted 
being  distilled  ;  and  aguardiente,  or  rum,  made 
from  sugar-cane  juice.  Both  of  these  are  powerful 
intoxicants.  A  very  valuable  and  harmless  article 
is  thus  sacrificed  to  make  a  liquid  poison.  So  in 
our  Middle  and  Western  States  we  pervert  both 
barley  and  rye  from  their  legitimate  purposes,  and 
turn  them  into  whiskey,  —  liquefied  ruin. 

Wherever    we    go    among   civilized    or    savage 


120  AZTEC  LAND. 

races,  in  islands  or  upon  continents,  in  the  frigid 
North  or  the  melting  South,  we  find  man  resorting 
to  some  stimulant  other  than  natural  food  and 
drink.  It  is  an  instinctive  craving,  apparently, 
exhibited  and  satisfied  as  surely  in  the  wilds  of 
Africa,  or  the  South  Sea  Islands,  as  by  the  opium- 
eating  Chinese,  or  the  brandy-drinking  Anglo- 
Saxons.  Every  people  have  sought  some  article 
with  which  to  stimulate  the  human  system.  Often- 
est  this  is  a  fermented  liquor ;  but  various  articles 
have  been  found  to  serve  the  purpose.  The  Az- 
tecs, and  the  Toltecs  before  them,  had  the  fer- 
mented juice  of  the  maguey  plant.  The  Chinese 
get  their  spirituous  drink  from  rice.  People  living 
under  the  equator  distill  the  saccharine  product 
of  the  sugar-cane  for  aguardiente.  The  German 
combines  his  malt  and  hops  to  produce  beer.  The 
Frenchman  depends  upon  the  juice  of  the  grape  in 
various  forms,  from  light  claret  to  fierce  Bordeaux 
brandy.  The  Puritans  of  Massachusetts  distilled 
New  England  rum  from  molasses.  The  faithful 
Mohammedan,  who  drinks  neither  wine  nor  spirits, 
makes  up  for  his  abstinence  by  free  indulgence  in 
coffee.  In  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Ocean  the 
natives  stimulate  themselves  by  chewing  the  betel 
nut ;  and  in  the  Malacca  Straits  Settlements,  Pe- 
nang,  Singapore,  and  other  islands,  the  people 
obtain  their  spirit  from  the  fermented  sap  of  the 
toddy-palm.  In  Japan  the  natives  get  mildly 
stimulated  by  immoderate  drinking  of  tea  many 
times  each  day ;  and  all  of  the  civilized  and  bar- 
baric world  is  addicted,  more  or  less,  to  the  use  of 
tobacco. 


OPALS.  121 

One  of  the  staple  commodities  produced  here  is 
that  classic,  beautiful,  and  precious  gem,  the  opal. 
It  is  found  imbedded  in  a  certain  kind  of  rock, 
in  the  neighboring  mountains,  sometimes  in  cubes, 
but  oftener  in  very  irregular  forms.  It  will  be  re- 
membered that  Nonius,  who  possessed  a  large  and 
brilliant  specimen  of  the  opal,  preferred  exile  to 
surrendering  it  to  Marc  Antony.  Whether  he 
was  opal-mad  or  not,  it  is  clear  that  persons  who 
visit  this  place  are  very  apt  to  become  monoma- 
niacs upon  the  subject  of  this  beautiful  gem.  Our 
party  expended  considerable  sums  for  these  pre- 
cious stones,  cut  and  uncut,  during  the  brief  pe- 
riod of  our  visit.  The  choicest  of  these  specimens 
is  the  true  fire-opal,  which  in  brilliancy  and  iri- 
descence excels  all  others.  Nearly  every  person 
one  meets  in  Queretaro  seems  to  have  more  or  less 
of  these  lovely  stones  to  sell ;  nine  tenths  of  them 
are  of  a  very  cheap  quality,  really  fine  ones,  be- 
ing the  exception,  are  valued  accordingly.  The 
pretty  flower-girl,  who  first  offers  you  her  more 
fragrant  wares,  presently  becomes  confidential, 
and,  drawing  nearer,  brings  out  from  some  mys- 
terious fold  of  her  dress  half  a  dozen  sparkling 
stones  which  she  is  anxious  to  dispose  of.  Even 
the  water  carrier,  with  his  huge  red  earthen  jar 
strapped  to  his  head  and  back,  if  he  sees  a  favor- 
able opportunity,  will  importune  the  stranger  re- 
garding these  fiery  little  stones.  These  irrespon- 
sible itinerants  have  some  ingenious  way  of  filling 
up  the  cracks  in  an  opal  successfully  for  the  time 
being  ;  but,  after  a  few  days,  the  defect  will  again 
appear. 


122  AZTEC  LAND. 

The  finest  specimens  of  the  opal  come  from 
Hungary.  They  are  harder  in  texture  than  those 
found  in  other  parts  of  the  world.  Those  brought 
from  Australia  are  nearly  equal  in  hardness  and 
brilliancy,  while,  so  far  as  our  own  experience 
goes,  the  Mexican  often  excel  either  in  variety  of 
color  and  brilliancy ;  but  it  is  not  quite  so  hard  as 
those  from  the  other  two  sources.  This  quality  of 
hardness  is  one  criterion  of  value  in  precious 
stones,  the  diamond  coming  first,  the  ruby  follow- 
ing it,  and  so  on.  The  author  has  seen  an  opal 
in  Pesth  weighing  fourteen  carats,  for  which  five 
thousand  dollars  were  refused.  They  can  be  pur- 
chased at  Queretaro  at  from  ten  dollars  to  ten 
hundred ;  for  the  latter  price  a  really  splendid  gem 
may  be  had,  emitting  a  grand  display  of  prismatic 
tints,  and  all  aglow  with  fire.  The  natives,  not- 
withstanding the  seeming  abundance  of  the  stones, 
hold  very  tenaciously  to  the  valuation  which  they 
first  place  upon  them.  Of  course,  really  choice 
specimens  are  always  rare,  and  quickly  disposed 
of.  While  the  ancients  considered  the  opal  a  har- 
binger of  good  fortune  to  the  possessor,  it  has  been 
deemed  in  our  day  to  be  exactly  the  reverse ;  and 
many  lovers  of  the  gem  have  denied  themselves 
the  pleasure  of  wearing  it  from  a  secret  supersti- 
tion as  to  its  unlucky  attributes.  This  fancy  has 
been  gradually  dispelled,  and  fashion  now  indorses 
the  opal  as  being  both  beautiful  and  desirable. 

Mexico  also  produces  many  other  precious 
stones,  among  which  are  the  ruby,  amethyst,  topaz, 
garnet,  pearl,  agate,  turquoise,  and  chalcedony, 
besides  onyx  and  many  sorts  of  choice  marbles. 


CAPITAL  OF  THE  TOLTECS.  123 

On  our  route  to  the  national  capital  we  pass 
through  a  number  of  small  cities  and  towns,  while 
we  ascend  and  descend  many  varying  grades. 
Native  women,  here  and  there,  bring  agua  miel,  or 
fresh  pulque,  to  us,  of  which  the  passengers  par- 
take freely.  It  is  a  pleasant  beverage  when  first 
drawn  from  the  plant,  very  much  like  new  cider, 
and  has  no  intoxicating  effect  until  fermentation 
takes  place.  As  we  progress  southward,  occasional 
wayside  shrines  with  a  cross  and  a  picture  of  the 
Virgin  are  seen,  before  which  a  native  woman  is 
sometimes  kneeling,  but  never  a  man.  Among 
other  interesting  places  we  come  to  Tula,  which 
was  the  capital  city  of  the  Toltecs  more  than 
twelve  centuries  ago.  The  cathedral  was  erected 
by  the  invaders  in  1553.  The  baptismal  font  in 
the  church  is  a  piece  of  Toltec  work.  There  is  to 
be  seen  the  yellow,  crumbling  walls  of  a  crude 
Spanish  chapel,  even  older  than  the  cathedral,  now 
fast  returning  to  its  native  dust.  There  are  other 
extremely  interesting  ruins  here,  notably  a  portion 
of  a  prehistoric  column,  and  the  lower  half  of  a 
very  large  statue  situated  in  the  plaza.  Mr.  Rus- 
kin  said  in  his  pedantic  way  that  he  could  not  be 
induced  to  travel  in  America  because  there  were 
no  ruins.  There  are  ruins  here  and  in  Yucatan 
which  antedate  by  centuries  anything  of  recorded 
history  relating  to  the  British  Isles.  Across  the 
Tula  River  and  up  the  Cerro  del  Tesoro  are  some 
other  ancient  ruins  which  have  greatly  interested 
antiquarians,  embracing  carved  stones  and  what 
must  once  have  been  part  of  a  group  of  dwell- 
ings, built  of  stone  laid  in  mud  and  covered  with 


124  AZTEC  LAND. 

cement.  The  valley  shows  a  rich  array  of  foliage 
and  flowers,  forming  bits  of  delightful  scenery. 
There  are  some  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants  in 
Tula ;  but  it  must  once  have  been  a  large  city ; 
indeed,  the  name  indicates  that,  meaning  "  the 
place  of  many  people."  The  locality  of  the  an- 
cient capital  is  now  mostly  overgrown  and  hidden 
from  sight.  We  are  fifty  miles  from  the  city  of 
Mexico  at  Tula,  and  about  seven  hundred  feet  be- 
low it.  The  records  of  the  Spanish  conquest  tell 
us  that  the  natives  of  this  ancient  capital  were 
among  the  first,  as  a  whole  community,  to  embrace 
the  Christian  religion  ;  and  it  seems  that  its  peo- 
ple ever  remained  stanch  allies  of  Cortez  in  ex- 
tending his  conquests. 

Here  we  experienced  one  of  those  freaks  of 
tropical  weather,  a  furious  summer  hail-storm. 
The  thermometer  had  ranged  about  80°  in  the 
early  day,  when  suddenly  heavy  clouds  seemed 
to  gather  from  several  points  of  the  sky  at  the  same 
time.  The  thermometer  dropped  quickly  some 
30°.  It  was  a  couple  of  hours  past  noon  when 
the  clouds  began  to  empty  their  contents  upon 
the  earth;  down  came  the  hailstones  like  buck- 
shot, only  twice  as  large,  covering  as  with  a  white 
sheet  the  parched  ground,  which  had  not  been  wet 
by  a  drop  of  rain  for  months.  This  unusual  storm 
prevailed  for  nearly  an  hour  before  it  exhausted 
its  angry  force.  "  Exceptional?"  repeated  the  sta- 
tion-master on  the  line  of  the  Mexican  Central 
Railroad,  in  reply  to  a  query  as  to  the  weather. 
"  I  have  been  here  ten  years,  and  this  is  the 
first  time  I  have  seen  snow  or  hail  at  any  season. 


AFTER   THE  STORM.  12,3 

I  should  rather  say  it  was  exceptional."  By  and 
by,  after  stampeding  all  the  exposed  cattle,  and 
driving  everybody  to  the  nearest  shelter  and  keep- 
ing them  there,  the  inky  clouds  dispersed  almost  as 
suddenly  as  they  had  gathered,  and  the  thermome- 
ter gradually  crept  back  to  a  figure  nearly  as  high 
as  at  noon.  The  fury  of  the  storm  was  followed  by 
a  sunset  of  rarest  loveliness,  eliciting  ejaculations 
of  delight  at  the  varied  and  vivid  combinations  of 
prismatic  colors.  One  does  not  soon  forget  such 
a  scene  as  was  presented  at  the  close  of  this  day. 
The  sun  set  in  a  blaze  of  orange  and  scarlet,  seen 
across  the  long  level  of  the  cactus-covered  prairie, 
while  soft  twilight  shadows  gathered  about  the 
crumbling,  vine-screened  walls  of  the  old  Spanish 
church  in  the  environs  of  Tula.  Soon  the  stars 
came  into  view,  one  by  one,  while  the  moon  rode 
high  and  serene  among  the  lesser  lights  of  the  still 
blue  sky. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

City  of  Mexico.  —  Private  Dwellings. —  Thieves. —  Old  Mexico.  — 
Climate.  —  Tramways.  —  The  Plaza  Mayor.  —  City  Streets.  — 
The  Grand  Paseo.  —  Public  Statues.  —  Scenes  upon  the  Paseo. 
—  The  Paseo  de  la  Viga.  —  Out-of-door  Concerts.  —  A  Mexi- 
can Caballero.  —  Lottery  Ticket  Venders.  —  High  Noon.  — 
Mexican  Soldiers.  —  Musicians.  —  Criminals  as  Soldiers.  — 
The  Grand  Cathedral.  —  The  Ancient  Aztec  Temple.  —  Mag- 
nificent View  from  the  Towers  of  the  Cathedral.  —  Cost  of 
the  Edifice.  —  Valley  of  Anahuac. 

As  Paris  is  said  to  be  France,  so  is  the  national 
capital  of  this  country  equally  representative,  it 
being  indisputable  that  the  main  business  and  the 
social  interests  of  the  country  all  centre  here.  The 
city  derives  its  name  from  the  Aztec  war-god 
Mexitli,  and  is  a  large  and  handsome  metropolis, 
containing  considerably  over  three  hundred  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  who  embrace  a  large  diversity 
of  nationalities.  In  1519,  when  Cortez  first  saw 
it,  the  city  is  represented  to  have  been  nine  miles 
in  circumference,  and  to  have  contained  half  a 
million  of  inhabitants,  —  a  statement  which,  we 
doubt  not,  is  greatly  exaggerated,  as  were  nearly  all 
of  his  representations  and  those  of  his  followers. 
This  capital  originally  bore  the  name  of  Tenoch- 
titlan,  and  was  completely  destroyed  by  the  in- 
vaders, who  established  a  new  city  upon  the  same 
site.  Cortez  officially  announced,  three  or  four 
years  afterwards,  that  the  population  was  thirty 


PRIVATE  DWELLINGS.  127 

thousand.  "  For  a  century,"  says  Charles  Lem- 
priere,  an  able  writer  on  Mexico,  "  the  city  con- 
tinued to  increase  in  numbers,  wealth,  and  power, 
so  that  when  Captain  John  Smith  and  his  follow- 
ers were  looking  for  gold  mines  in  Virginia  and 
the  Pilgrims  were  planting  corn  in  Massachusetts, 
an  empire  had  been  founded  and  built  up  on  the 
same  continent  by  the  Spaniards,  and  the  most 
stupendous  system  of  plunder  the  world  ever  saw 
was  then  and  there  in  vigorous  operation." 

The  streets  of  the  city  as  we  see  them  to-day  are 
generally  broad  and  straight,  lined  with  two-story 
houses,  and  there  ai'e  also  several  elegant  boule- 
vards and  spacious  avenues.  The  better  class  of 
houses  are  built  of  stone,  covered  with  stucco,  the 
windows  opening  upon  cosy  little  balconies  hand- 
somely ornamented  and  shaded  by  linen  awnings, 
often  in  high  colors.  The  interior  construction  of 
the  dwellings  follows  the  usual  Spanish  style,  as 
seen  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  in  the  island  of 
Cuba,  and  elsewhere,  often  displaying  touches  of 
exquisite  Moorish  effect,  whose  highest  expression 
one  sees  in  the  Alhambra  at  Granada.  Here  and 
there  are  seen  horseshoe  arches  supported  at  the 
abutments  by  light  and  graceful  columns,  inclosing 
marble-paved  courts.  The  open  areas  about  which 
the  houses  are  built  often  present  most  pleasing 
effects  by  a  display  of  fountains,  flowers,  and  stat- 
uary tastefully  arranged.  On  the  main  thorough- 
fare leading  from  the  Plaza  Mayor  to  the  alaineda 
are  several  grand  private  residences,  having  the 
most  beautiful  courts,  or  patios,  as  they  are  called, 
that  the  imagination  can  conceive,  lovely  with 


128  AZTEC  LAND. 

tropical  trees  and  flowers  in  vivid  colors,  and  ren- 
dered musical  by  the  singing  of  caged  birds.  Upon 
these  areas,  which  are  open  to  the  sky,  the  inner 
doors  and  windows  of  the  dwellings  open,  the 
second  story  being  furnished  with  a  walk  and 
balustrade  running  round  the  patio.  Heavy,  nail- 
studded  doors  shut  off  this  domestic  area  from  the 
street  at  night.  It  is  not  safe  to  leave  anything 
outside  the  house  after  dark  that  a  man  can  lift. 
It  is  sure  to  be  stolen,  if  so  exposed.  The  lower 
classes  all  over  the  country  are  inveterate  thieves. 
The  bolts  that  fastened  the  ties  to  the  rails  of  the 
National  Kailway  were  stolen  nightly  by  the  people, 
until  they  were  finally  riveted  on.  But  then  there 
are  thieves  everywhere  ;  we  chain  our  out-door  mats 
to  iron  fastenings  in  Boston,  Chicago,  and  New 
York,  and  dealers  in  "  improved  burglar  alarms  " 
do  a  thriving  business  in  all  our  Northern  cities. 

The  houses  in  this  capital  are  very  substantially 
built,  the  walls  being  composed  of  stuccoed  bricks 
of  great  thickness.  Fires  are  of  rare  occurrence, 
and,  indeed,  it  would  be  nearly  impossible  to  burn 
up  one  of  these  dwellings.  If  a  fire  does  occur,  it 
is  almost  always  confined  not  only  to  the  building 
in  which  it  originates,  but  even  to  the  room  where 
it  first  makes  its  appearance.  The  roofs  are 
nearly  all  flat  and  without  chimneys ;  there  is  no 
provision  made  for  producing  artificial  heat  in  the 
dwelling-houses.  This  is  quite  endurable  even  to 
foreigners  in  a  climate  where  the  temperature  sel- 
dom falls  below  60°  Fahi\,  and  averages  the  year 
round  nearly  ten  degrees  higher.  It  is  always 
•warm  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  and  cool  only 


CLIMATE.  129 

early  in  the  mornings  and  at  night.  The  climate 
may  be  said  to  be  temperate  and  the  atmosphere 
is  extremely  dry.  Travelers  are  liable  to  suffer 
considerably  from  thirst,  and  the  lips  are  prone 
to  chap,  owing  to  this  extreme  and  peculiar  dry- 
ness.  The  warmest  months  of  the  year  are  April 
and  May.  It  was  somewhat  of  a  surprise  to  the 
author  to  learn  that  the  death-rate  of  the  city  of 
Mexico  averages  nearly  double  that  of  Boston.  As 
to  elevation,  it  is  over  seven  thousand  feet  higher 
than  the  city  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  or  more  than 
a  thousand  feet  higher  than  the  summit  of  Mount 
Washington,  N.  H. 

Regarding  the  fine  residences  on  San  Fran- 
cisco Street,  there  is  a  peculiarity  observable  as  to 
their  location.  This  is  almost  wholly  a  business 
street,  and  therefore  to  select  it  for  an  elegant 
home  seems  incongruous.  The  choicest  residence 
we  can  remember  on  this  thoroughfare  stands  be- 
tween a  large  railroad-ticket  office  and  a  showy 
cigar  store.  This  house  has  a  most  striking  facade 
finished  in  Moorish  style  with  enameled  tiles,  and 
is  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  street  from  the  Itur- 
bide  Hotel. 

Numerous  large  squares,  beside  the  grand  plaza 
and  the  spacious  alameda,  ornament  the  capital. 
Several  of  the  main  thoroughfares  enter  and  de- 
part from  the  Plaza  Mayor,  as  in  the  city  of 
Madrid,  where  the  Puerto  del  Sol  — "  Gate  of 
the  Sun  "  —  forms  a  centre  from  which  radiate  so 
many  of  the  principal  streets.  Some  are  broad, 
some  are  narrow,  but  all  are  paved,  cleanly,  and 
straight.  The  street-car  system  is  excellent.  If 


130  AZTEC  LAND. 

any  fault  is  to  be  found  with  the  management, 
it  is  with  the  rapid  manner  in  which  the  mules  at- 
tached to  the  cars  are  driven  through  the  highways 
amid  a  crowded  population  ;  and  yet,  we  were  told, 
accidents  rarely  if  ever  happen.  They  are  gener- 
ally run  double,  having  a  first  and  second  class 
car,  both  of  which  are  seemingly  well  filled  at  all 
hours  of  the  day.  Funerals  are  conducted  by  turn- 
ing one  of  the  street  cars,  made  for  the  purpose, 
into  a  catafalque,  or  hearse,  another  being  reserved 
for  the  pall-bearers  and  mourners.  Sometimes  one 
sees  a  long  string  of  these  cars  occupied  for  this 
purpose  gliding  into  the  suburbs  where  the  grave- 
yards are  located.  The  use  of  cow-horns  by  the 
driver  to  warn  the  people  who  obstruct  the  way 
appeared  to  be  a  little  primitive,  to  say  the  least 
of  it,  in  a  city  so  large  as  this  capital.  It  seems 
very  effective,  however.  The  fact  that  all  of  the 
tramway  cars  start  from  and  return  to  the  Plaza 
Mayor  in  front  of  the  cathedral  makes  it  easy  for 
a  stranger  to  find  his  way  to  any  desired  point  of 
the  city  or  its  environs,  and  safely  to  return  to  the 
starting  point  when  he  desires  to  do  so.  The  Plaza 
Mayor  in  every  Mexican  city  is  not  only  the  cen- 
tral park,  but  also  the  central  idea.  There  could 
no  more  be  a  full-fledged  Spanish  city  without  a 
plaza  than  a  cathedral  without  a  bishop. 

Statistics  show  that  there  are  nearly,  or  quite, 
five  hundred  miles  of  streets  in  the  Mexican  capi- 
tal. These,  intersecting  each  other  at  right  angles, 
are  so  strangely  alike  as  to  be  not  a  little  puzzling 
to  the  uninitiated.  It  is  also  somewhat  awkward 
at  first  to  find  one  continuous  avenue  bearing 


THE  PASEO.  131 

many  names,  each  block  being  individualized  by 
a  fresh  appellation.  This  subdivision  of  the  large 
avenues,  we  were  told,  is  gradually  to  be  dis- 
carded. The  admirable  boulevard  called  the  Paseo 
de  la  Reforma,  leads  out  of  the  city  to  the  castle 
of  Chapultepec,  and  is  over  two  miles  in  length, 
with  a  uniform  width  of  two  hundred  feet,  forming 
the  fashionable  afternoon  drive  and  promenade  of 
the  town.  It  has  double  avenues  of  shade  trees  to 
the  right  and  left,  with  stone  sidewalks  and  con- 
venient seats  for  those  who  desire  them.  On 
either  side  of  this  grand  boulevard  are  seen  an 
occasional  chateau  with  handsome  gardens.  At 
certain  intervals  the  avenue  widens  into  a  glori- 
eta,  or  circle,  four  hundred  feet  in  diameter.  The 
first  of  these  contains  Cordier's  Columbus,  one  of 
the  most  admirable  and  artistic  modern  statues 
which  we  remember  to  have  seen,  though  there 
appeared  to  be  some  confusion  in  the  extraordi- 
nary amount  of  detail  which  is  crowded  upon  the 
base.  Other  appropriate  monuments  ornament 
the  several  circles,  including  an  equestrian  statue 
of  Charles  IV.  of  colossal  size  ;  thirty  tons  of 
metal  was  used  in  the  casting,  and,  if  not  the 
largest,  it  is  the  second  largest  that  has  ever  been 
cast.  Still  another  represents  Guatemozin,  the 
last  of  the  Indian  emperors.  It  is  a  little  singular 
that  Montezuma  II.  is  not  remembered  in  this 
connection,  he  whose  life  was  so  intimately  inter- 
woven with  the  history  of  the  Aztec  race  in  the 
time  of  Cortez.  Humboldt  is  said  to  have  de- 
clared that  the  statue  of  Charles  IV.  had  but  one 
superior,  namely,  that  of  Marcus  Aurelius.  There 


132  AZTEC  LAND. 

are  six  of  these  glorietas,  which  beautify  the  long 
line  of  perspective  ending  in  the  elevated  palace- 
castle  of  Chapultepec,  with  its  snow-white,  pictur- 
esque walls  clearly  defined  against  the  blue  sky. 
When  Maximilian  planned  and  completed  this 
charming  driveway,  he  named  it  the  Boulevarde 
Emperiale ;  but  on  the  establishment  of  the  re- 
public the  more  appropriate  title  which  it  now 
bears  was  adopted.  Some  people  persist  in  calling 
it  the  Empress's  Drive,  in  honor  of  Carlotta. 

One  never  wearies  of  sitting  upon  the  well-ar- 
ranged benches  of  the  paseo  in  the  afternoon,  and 
watching  the  motley  throng  of  people  driving,  rid- 
ing on  horseback,  or  promenading  :  the  ladies  with 
piercing  black  eyes  and  glossy  dark  hair  shrouded 
by  lace  mantillas ;  the  dashing  equestrians  exhibit- 
ing all  the  gay  paraphernalia  of  a  Mexican  horse- 
man ;  stately  vehicles  drawn  by  two  snow-white 
mules ;  tally-ho  coaches  conveying  merry  parties  of 
American  or  English  people ;  youthful  aristocrats 
bestriding  Lilliputian  horses,  followed  by  liveried 
servants ;  while  here  and  there  a  mounted  police- 
man in  fancy  uniform  moves  slowly  by.  In  the 
line  of  pedestrians  are  well-dressed  gentlemen  in 
black  broadcloth  suits,  wearing  silk  hats  and 
sporting  button-hole  bouquets,  mingled  with  whom 
are  a  more  common  class  of  the  people  in  pictur- 
esque national  costumes.  The  women  of  the  mid- 
dle class  add  gayety  of  color  by  their  red  and  blue 
rebosas,  sometimes  partly  covering  the  head,  at 
others  thrown  carelessly  over  the  shoulders,  or  tied 
across  the  chest  securing  an  infant  to  the  back. 
The  general  effect  of  the  constantly  moving  throng 


THE  AFTERNOON  DRIVE.  133 

is  kaleidoscopic,  while  the  mingled  groupings  are 
delightfully  entertaining.  Nothing  more  peculiar 
and  striking  in  its  line  is  to  be  seen  this  side  of 
the  Maidan,  Calcutta.  Here,  as  in  that  Asiatic 
Champs  Elysees,  now  and  again  one  sees  a  light 
American  trotting  wagon  or  a  heavy-wheeled  Eng- 
lish doer  cart,  with  a  dude  at  the  reins  and  a  liv- 

O  ' 

eried  flunky  behind  holding  a  flaring  bouquet ! 

The  carnages  go  out  towards  Chapultepec  on 
one  side  and  return  on  the  other,  during  the  popu- 
lar hours  for  driving,  leaving  the  central  portion 
of  the  roadway  exclusively  for  equestrians.  Every 
man  who  can  afford  it  owns  a  saddle  horse  in  this 
city,  and  the  men  are  universally  good  riders. 
The  horses  are  broken  to  a  certain  easy  gait  called 
the  passo,  a  sort  of  half  run,  very  easy  for  the 
rider,  scarcely  moving  him  in  the  seat.  These 
horses  average  about  fifteen  hands  in  height,  and 
are  taught  to  stop,  or  turn  back,  at  the  least  touch 
of  the  bit.  They  are  both  fast  and  enduring,  with 
plenty  of  spirit,  and  yet  are  perfectly  tractable. 
The  enormous  spurs  worn  by  the  riders,  with  row- 
els an  inch  long,  are  more  for  show  than  for  use. 
Mexican  or  Spanish  ladies  are  hardly  ever  seen  on 
horseback,  though  both  English  and  American 
ladies  are  often  met  in  the  saddle,  dashing  gal- 
lantly through  the  throng  upon  the  paseo  at  the 
fashionable  hour.  Something  of  oriental  exclu- 
siveness  and  privacy  is  observed  by  Mexican  ladies 
of  the  upper  class,  who  drive  on  the  paseo  even  in 
close  carriages,  not  in  open  barouches,  like  those  of 
European  cities.  In  shopping  excursions  they  do 
not  enter  the  stores ;  but  the  goods  are  brought  to 


134  AZTEC  LAND. 

the  door  of  the  vehicle,  in  which  they  retain  their 
seat  while  examining  the  articles  which  are  offered. 
It  is  a  Sunday  scene  which  we  are  describing ;  but 
it  is  all  the  gayer  for  that  reason.  The  pulque 
shops  drive  a  lucrative  business ;  the  billiard  sa- 
loons are  all  open.  Children  ride  hither  and 
thither  in  little  fancy  carriages  drawn  by  goats  ; 
donkeys  covered  with  glittering  ornaments  are  rid- 
den by  small  boys,  and  led  by  their  owners  ;  clouds 
of  highly-colored  toy  balloons  float  in  the  air,  tied 
to  the  wrists  of  itinerant  venders ;  gambling  stands 
do  much  abound ;  while  candy  -  sellers,  with  long 
white  aprons  and  snow-white  paper  caps,  offer 
candy  and  preserved  fruits  on  all  sides.  The  class 
of  women  whom  we  meet  as  pedestrians  are  quite 
Parisian  in  the  free  use  of  rouge  for  lips  and 
cheeks,  not  forgetting  indigo-blue  with  which  to 
shade  about  their  dreamy-looking  eyes.  Ladies 
belonging  to  the  aristocratic  class  are  rarely,  if 
ever,  seen  walking  in  the  streets.  They  only  drive 
in  the  paseo.  For  a  couple  of  hours  in  the  closing 
part  of  the  day,  the  paseo  is  a  bright,  giddy,  allur- 
ing scene.  A  military  band  performs  on  Sundays, 
adding  life  and  spirit  to  the  surroundings.  The 
wholesome  influence  of  these  out-of-door  concerts 
upon  the  masses  of  the  people  is  doubtless  fully 
realized  by  the  government.  A  love  of  music  is 
natural  to  all  classes  here.  Groups  of  half-clothed 
men  and  women,  bareheaded  and  barefooted,  al- 
ways take  places  modestly  in  some  corner  and 
quietly  listen  during  the  performance  of  the  bands, 
never  speaking  while  the  music  lasts.  To  such 
these  out-door  concerts  are  a  real  boon.  To  the 


A  MEXICAN  HORSEMAN.  135 

higher  classes  they  are  simply  an  addition  to  a  long 
list  of  other  pleasures.  Another  boulevard,  known 
as  the  Paseo  de  la  Viga,  runs  along  the  banks  of 
the  canal  of  the  same  name,  and  leads  out  to  the 
Lake  Xachimilco ;  but,  since  the  new  paseo  was 
completed  this  has  ceased  to  be  the  favorite  resort 
for  driving.  It  is  situated  in  the  southern  sub- 
urb of  the  city,  and  seems  to  be  rather  deserted, 
though  as  we  view  it  there  passes  a  typical  horse- 
man, a  description  of  whom  shall  be  literal. 

The  horse  is  of  Arabian  descent.  His  sire  must 
have  been  imported  from  continental  Spain,  and 
being  crossed  upon  native  stock  has  produced  a 
medium-sized,  high-spirited,  handsome  animal,  with 
a  broad  chest  expanded  by  the  air  of  this  altitude, 
the  nostrils  being  widespread,  the  ears  small,  and 
the  eyes  full  of  intelligence.  The  horse's  saddle, 
bridle,  and  trappings  are  gorgeous  with  silver 
ornaments,  without  the  least  regard  to  usefulness, 
twenty-four  inches  square  of  leather  fancifully 
worked  and  shaped  being  attached  to  each  stirrup. 
His  rider  appears  in  a  short  leather  jacket,  be- 
dizened with  silver  buttons,  tight  pantaloons  of  the 
same  material,  also  heavy  with  silver  buttons,  being 
partially  opened  at  the  side  and  flaring  at  the  bot- 
tom. He  does  not  wear  a  waistcoat,  but  has  a 
mountain  of  frills  on  the  linen  bosom  of  his  shirt, 
set  off  by  a  red  scarf  tied  about  the  waist.  The 
spurs  upon  his  heels  are  of  silver,  weighing  at 
least  half  a  pound  each,  while  the  rowels  are  an 
inch  long.  On  his  head  is  a  sombrero  of  yellow  or 
brown  felt,  the  brim  of  which  is  twelve  to  fifteen 
inches  broad,  and  the  crown  measuring  the  same 


136  AZTEC  LAND. 

in  height.  The  sombrero  is  covered  with  gilt  cord 
formed  into  a  sort  of  rope  where  it  makes  the 
band.  The  wearer's  monogram,  in  gold  or  silver 
letters  from  two  to  four  inches  long,  on  the  side 
of  the  crown,  completes  the  whole.  Every  article 
is  of  the  finest  material,  and  therein,  principally, 
he  differs  from  a  Western  cowboy  or  a  dandified 
Buffalo  Bill. 

During  the  period  of  Lent,  owing  to  some  caprice 
of  fashion,  the  Paseo  de  la  Viga  becomes  the  popu- 
lar afternoon  resort  for  vehicles  and  equestrians. 

While  we  are  making  these  notes,  sitting  upon 
the  curbstone  of  a  fountain  of  the  paseo,  we  are 
personally  reminded  that  the  lottery  ticket  vender 
is  ubiquitous.  Sometimes  it  is  a  man  who  im- 
portunes you  to  purchase,  sometimes  a  young  girl, 
and  at  others  even  a  child  of  eleven  or  twelve 
years  belonging  to  either  sex.  The  pretty  girl  of 
course  finds  the  most  customers,  offering  to  "  kiss 
the  ticket  for  good  luck,"  and  on  the  sly,  perhaps 
the  purchaser  also.  This  must  be  a  Spanish  idea, 
as  it  is  practiced  both  in  Madrid  and  Cuba.  The 
Mexican  government  realizes  fully  a  million  dol- 
lars per  annum  from  the  licenses  granted  to  pro- 
tect this  gross  swindle  upon  the  public.  It  is  a 
regular  thing  for  prominent  business  houses  to 
make  their  monthly  purchases  of  these  lottery  tick- 
ets ;  rich  and  poor,  prince  and  beggar,  alike  invest, 
differing  only  in  the  amount ;  while  most  strangers, 
smothering  their  conscientious  scruples,  purchase  a 
ticket,  thus  adding  their  mite  to  the  general  folly. 
We  were  told  in  Havana  that  one  satisfaction  in 
buying  tickets  in  the  national  lottery  there  was, 


LOTTERIES.  137 

that  like  the  Louisiana  Lottery  it  was  honestly 
conducted.  Our  incredulity  upon  the  subject  was 
laughed  to  scorn,  but  since  then  the  Havana  Lot- 
tery has  been  detected  in  a  series  of  the  most  bare- 
faced swindlings  that  can  be  imagined.  As  to  that 
of  Louisiana,  we  never  for  a  moment  have  believed 
in  there  being  anything  "  honest "  about  it.  A 
concern  which  can  afford  to  offer  the  State  gov- 
ernment of  Louisiana  over  a  million  dollars  per 
annum  for  the  privilege  of  running  a  gambling 
institution  there,  must  carry  on  a  more  reckless 
swindling  game  upon  the  public  at  large  than  its 
worst  enemies  have  suspected. 

Just  at  high  noon,  on  our  return  from  the  Paseo 
de  la  Viga,  the  Plaza  Mayor  was  reached  on  the 
great  square  fronting  the  cathedral,  where  a  simul- 
taneous movement  was  observed  among  the  people 
who  filled  the  large  area.  As  the  cathedral  and 
church  bells  throughout  the  city  chimed  the  hour 
of  twelve,  every  Mexican  in  sight  uncovered  his 
head  and  bowed  devoutly.  It  was  difficult  to 
analyze  this  spirit  of  reverence,  for  which  no  one 
could  assign  any  satisfactory  reason  except  that  it 
was  the  custom. 

The  swarthy  soldiers  of  the  republic  are  often 
seen  paraded  opposite  the  plaza,  and  though  they 
are  sure  to  recall  the  French  Zouaves,  yet  they 
lack  their  admirable  discipline  and  perfection  of 
company  movements.  Indeed,  to  speak  plainly, 
the  author  has  never  seen  a  more  slatternly,  knock- 
kneed,  uncouth  body  of  soldiers  than  the  rank 
and  file  of  the  Mexican  army.  The  white  gaiters 
of  the  French  Zouaves  moving  all  together  have 


138  AZTEC  LAND. 

a  fine  effect  when  a  body  of  them  are  inarching 
through  a  Parisian  boulevard  ;  but  the  Mexican 
soldiers  have  neither  stockings  nor  gaiters,  besides 
which  they  do  not  pretend  to  keep  step  at  all  when 
marching.  They  move  at  will,  while  the  bottoms 
of  their  feet  only  are  covered  with  the  crudest  sort 
of  sandals,  laced  about  the  ankles  with  leather 
thongs.  Every  soldier  in  the  Mexican  service  is 
his  own  shoemaker.  An  intelligent  officer,  in  reply 
to  a  question  regarding  the  sandal  for  army  use, 
said  :  "  They  are  far  more  comfortable  for  a  sol- 
dier on  the  march  than  any  shoe  that  can  be  made. 
They  are  cool,  cheap,  and  do  not  irritate  the  feet. 
They  can  be  renewed  anywhere  in  this  country, 
and  a  sandal  that  will  fit  one  man  will  do  for  any 
other  in  the  regiment.  In  a  warm  climate  nothing 
is  so  suitable  for  the  feet  of  a  soldier."  It  is  well 
known  that  so  painful  will  close  shoes  often  be- 
come to  the  foot  soldier,  that  he  will  take  them  off 
and  throw  them  away  in  despair  when  making  a 
forced  march,  preferring  to  walk  barefooted  rather 
than  endure  the  suffering  caused  by  swollen  feet 
and  tight  shoes,  which  cannot  occur  when  the  san- 
dal is  used.  The  feet  have  always  perfect  free- 
dom in  them,  and  the  sole  and  toes  are  protected. 
Neither  men  nor  women  of  the  common  class  wear 
stockings,  and  in  fact  nine  out  of  ten  of  the  popu- 
lation of  the  country  go  barefooted  all  the  year 
round. 

It  puzzles  a  stranger  to  see  a  good  military  band 
—  and  they  are  excellent  musicians  here  —  play 
upon  their  instruments  in  perfect  harmony,  and  at 
the  same  time  march  out  of  step  or  cadence  with 


THE  ARMY.  139 

the  music.  It  would  seem  almost  impossible  for 
one  possessing  a  true  musical  ear  to  perform  such 
a  trick.  With  any  European  or  American  band, 
both  feet  and  instruments  would  get  out  of  accord 
constantly,  or  fall  into  it  naturally.  Like  the 
king's  guard  in  Hawaii,  the  troops  here  parade 
in  white  linen  or  cotton  uniforms,  stout  and  un- 
bleached, with  a  plenty  of  silvered  buttons,  the  cap 
being  white  and  of  the  same  material  as  the  rest 
of  the  simple  costume.  At  times  they  appear  in  a 
plain  uniform  of  dark  blue,  but  this  is  on  special 
occasions  only,  as  it  is  considered  to  be  full  dress. 
The  officers  are  nearly  all  graduates  of  the  military 
school  at  Chapultepec,  where  the  best  of  foreign 
teachers  are  employed  in  the  various  departments, 
so  that  in  future  it  is  confidently  expected  that 
the  army  will  be  found  in  a  more  efficient  condition 
than  ever  before.  The  common  soldiers,  we  were 
told,  are  composed  of  rather  questionable  material. 
A  large  percentage  of  them  are  criminals  released 
from  prison  on  condition  of  their  enlisting  and 
serving  for  a  certain  length  of  time  in  the  ranks 
of  the  regular  army.  On  the  caps  of  those  serving 
out  a  term  of  imprisonment  in  this  manner  are 
certain  marks  indicating  the  same,  as  well  as  show- 
ing the  length  of  the  prescribed  service.  Punish- 
ment is  ever  prompt  in  this  country,  and  despotic 
methods  prevail.  Any  one  attempting  to  evade 
his  term  of  service,  or  breaking  army  regulations, 
is  very  apt  to  have  his  business  settled  by  a  bullet 
at  once,  without  even  the  form  of  a  trial.  The 
department  of  the  cavalry  seemed  to  a  casual  ob- 
server to  be  much  more  efficient  than  that  of  the 


140  AZTEC  LAND. 

infantry.  The  fact  is,  the  average  Mexican  is  an 
admirable  horseman,  and  appears  better  in  that 
capacity  than  in  any  other.  The  national  or  stand- 
ing army  numbers  about  forty-five  thousand  of  all 
arms,  besides  which  each  state  has  a  regular 
militia  force,  but  of  a  poorly  organized  character,  in 
most  instances,  as  we  were  informed,  being  neither 
uniformed,  nor  drilled  at  regular  periods.  Presi- 
dent Diaz  is  opposed  to  the  employment  of  crimi- 
nals, such  as  we  have  described,  thinking  with 
good  reason  that  it  has  a  tendency  to  bring  dis- 
repute upon  the  service.  This  would  seem  to  be 
such  an  unquestionable  fact  as  to  admit  of  no 
argument. 

As,  in  the  case  of  the  first  Spanish  invasion, 
Cortez  with  his  handful  of  followers  could  not 
have  conquered  and  possessed  Mexico  but  for  the 
dissensions  existing  among  the  several  native  tribes, 
so,  as  regards  the  French  invasion  and  attempt  to 
seat  Maximilian  on  the  throne  of  a  new  American 
empire,  these  invaders  could  not  have  met  with 
even  the  partial  success  which  they  achieved  had 
the  Mexican  people  presented  an  unbroken  front 
in  opposition.  The  American  invasion  was  also 
more  or  less  favorably  affected  by  partisan  divi- 
sions among  the  Mexicans.  The  present  organiza- 
tion of  the  army  is  upon  a  basis  so  national,  and  is 
governed  by  a  spirit  so  faithful  to  the  whole  union 
of  the  states,  that  in  case  of  another  war  Mexico 
could  put  a  large  and  effective  army  into  the  field. 
In  other  words,  she  is  better  prepared  to-day  than 
ever  before  to  successfully  maintain  her  national 
integrity  by  force  of  arms. 


THE  CATHEDRAL.  141 

The  famous  cathedral  of  Mexico,  with  its  tall 
twin  towers  and  graceful  dome,  is  built  of  unhewn 
stone,  and  fronts  upon  the  Plaza  Mayor,  forming 
the  main  architectural  feature  of  the  city.  Ninety 
years  did  not  suffice  to  complete  it,  and  several 
millions  of  dollars  were  expended  in  the  original 
construction.  Among  the  sixty  churches  of  the 
capital  it  is  preeminent  for  its  vast  proportions  and 
elaborate  architectural  finish.  The  edifice  stands 
upon  the  spot,  or  very  near  it,  which  was  once  occu- 
pied by  the  great  Aztec  temple  dedicated  to  the  war 
god  of  the  nation,  which  the  Spaniards  promptly 
destroyed  after  subjugating  the  natives  and  taking 
full  possession  of  the  place.  The  first  church  on 
this  site  after  the  destruction  of  the  idolatrous  tem- 
ple was  founded  by  Charles  V.  His  successor  or- 
dered it  to  be  pulled  down,  and  the  present  edifice 
erected  in  its  place.  We  are  told  that  the  great 
Aztec  temple  was  surrounded  by  walls  having  four 
gates  fronting  the  four  cardinal  points,  and  that 
within  the  enclosure  were  five  hundred  dwellings 
accommodating  the  priests  and  priestesses,  and 
others  who  were  devoted  to  religious  dances  and 
devotional  ceremonies  connected  with  the  worship 
and  service  of  the  idols.  Five  thousand  priests 
chanted  night  and  day  before  the  altars.  Conse- 
crated fountains  and  gardens  of  holy  flowers  were 
there,  mingling  barbaric  fanaticism  with  natural 
beauty.  In  describing  these  matters  the  old  priests 
and  monks  gave  free  scope  to  their  imaginations. 

The  ancient  temple  was  pyramidal,  the  summit- 
being  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
ground,  and  accessible  by  numerous  broad  stone 


142  AZTEC  LAND. 

steps.  On  the  platform  at  the  top,  according  to 
Spanish  authorities,  human  sacrifices  took  place  not 
only  daily  but  hourly  ;  wars  were  made  with  neigh- 
boring tribes  to  supply  victims  for  the  altar,  and 
when  there  was  a  revolt  among  the  native  tribes, 
it  was  subdued  by  the  strong  arm,  while  the  offend- 
ing district  was  compelled  to  supply  a  certain  num- 
ber of  their  people  to  die  on  the  sacrificial  stone. 
It  is  represented  that  the  number  of  lives  thus 
disposed  of  was  reckoned  by  tens  of  thousands. 
David  A.  Wells,  in  his  able  and  comprehensive 
work  entitled,  "  A  Study  of  Mexico,"  says  of  these 
Spanish  chroniclers  that  their  representations  are 
the  merest  romance,  no  more  worthy  of  credence 
than  the  stories  of  "  Sindbad  the  Sailor,"  though 
from  this  source  alone  Prescott  drew  the  data  for 
his  popular  "  Conquest  of  Mexico."  One  of  these 
chroniclers,  who  gives  his  name  as  Bernal  Diaz,  not 
only  repeats  these  stories  of  the  multitudinous  sac- 
rifice of  human  beings  at  the  rate  of  thousands 
monthly,  but  charges  the  Cholulans  with  "  fatten- 
ing men  and  women  to  use  for  food,  keeping  them 
in  pens  as  animals  are  fatted !  "  Wilson  pro- 
nounces this  to  be  intolerable  nonsense,  and  though 
Diaz  pretends  to  have  been  one  of  Cortez's  sol- 
diers, always  with  him  throughout  his  remarkable 
invasion,  Wilson  proves  clearly  that  he  was  never 
in  the  country  at  all.  His  obvious  and  constant 
blunders  as  to  geography  and  other  matters  would 
alone  convict  him  of  being  a  pretender  and  not  a 
true  witness.  Besides  which,  he  contradicts  both 
himself  and  Cortez's  account  in  many  important 
particulars.  We  believe,  with  Wilson,  that  this 


UNRELIABLE  WRITERS.  143 

name  of  Bernal  Diaz  is  a  pure  fabrication,  gotten 
up  as  a  priestly  scheme  to  further  their  own  pur- 
poses, and  cover  up  the  insufferable  wickedness  of 
the  Roman  Church  in  Mexico,  as  well  as  to  screen 
the  bloodthirsty  career  of  its  agent  Cortez.  Las 
Casas  declared  all  these  Spanish  histories  of  the 
conquest  to  be  wicked  and  false.  He  wrote  a  his- 
tory himself,  from  personal  observation,  but  as  it 
would  have  exposed  the  falsehoods  and  schemes  of 
the  priestly  chroniclers,  it  was  promptly  suppressed 
by  the  all-powerful  Inquisition. 

In  destroying  and  leveling  the  great  sacrificial 
mound  which  formed  the  pyramid  supporting  the 
Aztec  temple,  together  with  the  debris  of  the  dis- 
mantled dwellings  and  temples  generally  belonging 
to  the  native  race,  the  Spanish  conquerers  must 
have  found  ample  material  wherewith  to  fill  up  the 
many  canals  and  small  lakes  which  made  of  this 
ancient  Aztec  capital  another  Venice.  Every  ves- 
tige of  aboriginal  architecture  has  disappeared  from 
the  surface  of  the  city.  Three  hundred  and  sixty 
odd  years  have  served  to  turn  the  probably  frail 
dwellings  of  the  people  completely  to  dust.  So, 
also,  have  the  earliest  structures  of  the  Spaniards 
disappeared.  There  are  few  of  their  churches 
which  have  not  been  rebuilt.  The  causeways 
which  connected  the  ancient  city  with  the  mainland 
are  still  considerably  higher  than  the  general  level 
of  the  plain,  and  are  thus  distinctly  marked,  be- 
sides being  bordered  with  venerable  umbrageous 
trees,  tall  and  graceful,  producing  a  fine  effect, 
particularly  when  seen  from  a  distance,  forming 
divisional  lines  in  the  broad  and  varied  landscape. 


144  AZTEC  LAND. 

The  facade  of  the  present  grand  cathedral,  at 
each  side  of  which  rises  a  massive  tower  crowned 
by  a  bell-shaped  dome,  is  divided  by  buttresses  into 
three  parts,  and  though  there  is  some  confusion  of 
orders,  Doric  and  Ionic  prevailing,  still  as  a  whole 
the  front  is  majestic  and  imposing.  The  towers 
are  each  over  two  hundred  feet  in  height,  and  are 
also  of  mingled  orders.  In  the  western  tower  is 
the  gr.eat  bell,  nineteen  feet  high,  named  Santa 
Maria  de  Guadalupe.  We  know  of  nothing  of  the 
sort  exceeding  it  in  size  and  weight  except  the 
great  Russian  bell  to  be  seen  in  the  square  of  the 
Kremlin  at  Moscow.  The  basso-relievos,  statues, 
friezes,  and  capitals  of  the  facade  of  the  great  edi- 
fice are  of  white  marble,  which  time  has  rendered 
harmonious  with  the  gray  stone.  Though  millions 
of  dollars  have  been  lavishly  expended  upon  the 
interior,  —  the  cost  of  the  bare  walls  was  over  two 
millions,  —  it  will  strike  an  artistic  eye  as  incon- 
gruous. Like  the  grand  and  costly  interiors  of 
the  churches  at  Toledo,  Burgos,  and  Cordova,  in 
Spain,  the  general  effect  is  seriously  marred  by 
placing  the  choir  in  the  middle  of  the  nave.  It  is 
like  breaking  midway  some  otherwise  grand  per- 
spective. The  cathedral  is  over  four  hundred  feet 
in  length  and  two  hundred  in  width.  Quadruple 
pillars,  each  thirty-five  feet  in  circumference,  sup- 
port its  roof,  which  is  a  hundred  and  seventy-five 
feet  from  the  floor.  The  high  altar  —  there  are 
six  altars  in  all  —  was  once  the  richest  in  the  world, 
and  though  the  church  has  been  many  times  plun- 
dered, it  still  retains  much  of  its  magnificence. 
The  solid  gold  candlesticks,  heavier  than  a  single 


COSTLY  CHUECH  ORNAMENTS.  145 

pair  of  arms  could  lift,  the  statue  of  the  Assump- 
tion, which  was  also  composed  of  solid  gold,  inlaid 
with  diamonds,  rubies,  and  other  precious  stones, 
valued  at  a  million  dollars,  besides  many  other 
equally  extravagant  and  nearly  as  costly  objects, 
have  from  time  to  time  disappeared.  But  with  all 
of  its  losses,  this  cathedral  is  doubtless  decorated 
in  a  more  costly  manner  than  any  other  in  America. 
The  railing  of  the  choir  is  a  remarkable  affair, 
manufactured  in  China  at  great  cost,  and  weighs 
nearly  thirty  tons.  It  is  said  to  be  composed  of 
silver,  gold,  and  copper,  containing  so  much  gold 
that  an  offer  has  been  made  to  take  it  down  and 
replace  it  with  one  of  solid  silver  in  exchange. 
The  original  cost  of  this  railing  is  stated  to  have 
been  one  million  and  a  half  dollars  !  (Spanish 
authority.)  There  are  a  dozen  or  more  side  chap- 
els, inclosed  in  bronze  gates,  in  one  of  which  the 
Mexican  Emperor  Iturbide  is  buried,  though,  he 
was  condemned  and  executed  as  a  traitor.  Two  in- 
valuable oil  paintings  hang  upon  the  walls,  a  gen- 
uine Murillo  and  an  original  Michael  Angelo.  A 
dim  light  pervades  the  interior  of  the  cathedral, 
tempered  by  the  flare  of  tall  candles,  but  it  lacks 
the  beautiful  effect  of  stained  glass  windows.  The 
imagination,  however,  is  very  active,  and  easily 
summons  from  the  dim  past  ghostly  shadows,  while 
an  overpowering  sense  of  height  and  silence  pre- 
vails. 

Here  Maximilian  and  Carlotta  were  crowned,  in 
1864,  emperor  and  empress,  with  great  ceremony, 
little  dreaming  how  briefly  their  imperial  honors 
would  remain  to  them. 


146  AZTEC  LAND. 

In  contemplating  this  grand  architectural  devel- 
opment, as  well  as  the  hundreds  of  other  similar 
structures,  erected  at  such  enormous  expenditures 
of  money  and  labor,  one  cannot  but  be  exercised 
by  mingled  emotions.  We  are  apt  to  recall  bow 
much  of  absolute  misery  was  entailed  upon  the 
down-trodden  natives,  who  were  compelled  to  work 
for  barely  sufficient  food  to  sustain  life.  The  con- 
trol of  the  priesthood  was  absolute  ;  they  levied 
taxes  upon  everything  and  everybody.  They  were 
amenable  to  no  civil  laws,  and  recognized  none 
but  those  of  the  church.  The  extent  to  which  they 
carried  their  extortion  is  almost  beyond  belief,  and 
the  amount  of  wealth  which  they  accumulated  is 
nearly  incredible.  At  the  time  of  the  reform,  the 
clergy  absolutely  owned  three  fourths  of  the  entire 
property  of  the  country. 

The  view  from  the  towers  of  the  cathedral,  —  in 
which  there  are  between  forty  and  fifty  costly 
bells,  each  dedicated  to  some  saint  or  martyr,  — 
is  so  remarkable  that  not  even  the  most  casual 
visitor  to  the  capital  should  miss  it.  It  presents 
such  a  picture  as  promptly  photographs  itself  on 
the  brain,  never  to  be  obliterated.  It  was  from 
this  locality,  on  the  summit  of  the  Aztec  temple 
which  stood  here  four  hundred  years  ago,  that 
Montezuma  pointed  out  to  Cortez  the  beauties  of 
his  capital  and  its  fairy-like  environs,  so  soon  to 
be  destroyed  by  the  hands  of  the  ruthless  invader. 
At  our  feet  lies  the  tree-dotted  plaza,  with  its  cen- 
tral pleasure-garden  and  its  fine  architectural  sur- 
roundings, including  the  long,  white  facade  of  the 
national  palace,  while  the  entire  city  is  spread  out 


A  REMARKABLE  VIEW.  147 

before  us  with  its  myriad  domes,  spires,  thorough- 
fares, and  causeways.  There  are  typical  scenes 
and  groups  everywhere  formed  by  the  eddies  of 
busy  life.  Long  lines  of  heavy-laden  burros  thread 
the  streets,  the  natives  assume  the  size  of  huge 
insects  crawling  about  in  bright  colors,  the  bloom- 
ing trees  are  like  button-hole  bouquets,  and  dash- 
ing horsemen  move  about  like  animated  mario- 
nettes. Not  far  away  looms  against  the  blue  sky 
the  tall  castle  of  Chapultepec,  while  the  clustered 
towers  of  Guadalupe,  the  Mecca  of  all  pious  Mexi- 
cans, comes  still  nearer  to  the  vision.  The  many 
outlying  villages  upon  the  plateau,  each  with  its 
central  spire,  recall  the  lovely  plains  of  Granada. 
The  distant  fields  of  maguey,  the  verdant  patches 
of  alfalfa,  luxuriant  meadows,  groups  of  grazing 
cattle,  and  the  two  arched  stone  aqueducts  are  all 
prominent  features  presenting  themselves  to  the 
eye,  together  with  the  gardens  and  villas  of  Tacu- 
baya  and  San  Angel.  As  we  gaze  at  the  un- 
equaled  panorama,  which  Humboldt  pronounced 
to  be  the  most  beautiful  the  eye  ever  rested  upon, 
the  thought  forced  itself  upon  us  that  with  all  its 
scenic  beauty,  this  valley  and  plain  of  Anahuac 
has  for  centuries  been  cursed  with  crime  and  bar- 
barism. The  whole  scene  is  inclosed  by  a  grand 
circle  of  mountains,  just  far  enough  away  to  clothe 
them  in  charming  purple.  The  rarefied  atmos- 
phere adds  distinctness  and  brilliancy  of  coloring 
to  everything.  Two  of  these  sky-reaching  eleva- 
tions are  of  world-wide  reputation,  namely,  Mount 
Popocatepetl  ("  the  smoking  mountain "),  and 
Mount  Ixtaccihuatl  ("  the  white  woman  ").  The 


148  AZTEC  LAND. 

former  presents  so  perfect  a  conical  form,  while 
the  summit  is  rounded  into  a  dome  of  dazzling 
whiteness,  that  it  seems  to  far  exceed  the  height  of 
eighteen  thousand  feet  which  is  accorded  to  it ;  and 
though  it  does  not  rise  abruptly  from  sea  level  to 
its  giddy  height,  like  Mount  Tacoma  in  the  State 
of  Washington,  still  in  shape  it  much  resembles 
that  noble  elevation. 

Cortez  in  1520  and  Scott  in  1847  led  their  con- 
quering hosts  over  the  elevated  pass  which  nature 
had  formed  between  these  mountains.  The  two 
summits  are  connected  by  a  well-wooded  ridge, 
itself  some  three  thousand  feet  in  height,  looking 
from  a  distance  like  a  deep  valley  between  the 
grand  mountains.  While  regarding  the  interest- 
ing scene,  it  was  natural  to  compare  the  loftiest 
elevation  before  us  with  that  of  the  Valley  of 
Chamounix.  Mont  Blanc  is  a  little  less  than  six- 
teen thousand  feet  at  its  summit  above  the  sea. 
Popocatepetl  is  a  little  less  than  eighteen  thousand, 
but  the  latter  rises  from  the  plateau  of  Mexico, 
which  is  over  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea, 
while  Mont  Blanc  at  the  base,  is  only  thirty- 
five  hundred  feet  above  the  ocean.  Thus  about 
two  thousand  feet  more  of  elevation  is  visible  to 
the  eye  in  the  Swiss  mountain  than  the  Mexican 
monarch  shows  above  the  plain. 

In  the  rear  of  the  cathedral,  and  adjoining  it,  is 
an  interesting  chapel  known  as  the  Capilla  de  las 
Animas,  "  Chapel  of  the  Souls."  It  is  really  a 
part  of  the  cathedral,  though  ai-ranged  quite  sepa- 
rate from  it,  facing  upon  the  Calle  de  las  Escale- 
rillas.  We  find  no  record  of  its  origin,  though  it 


AN  INDUSTRIOUS  PEIEST.  149 

is  said  to  have  been  built  in  1748  to  replace  a 
similar  edifice  which  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The 
branch  of  business  to  which  this  chapel  is  devoted, 
as  we  were  told  upon  the  spot,  was  to  pray  to  the 
good  God  to  release  souls  from  purgatory  !  One 
Concha,  a  priest  who  carried  on  this  lucrative  farce 
until  he  was  eighty-seven  years  old,  died  so  long 
ago  as  1755,  having,  as  the  church  record  shows, 
"celebrated"  over  forty-five  thousand  masses  in 
his  time;  the  amount  of  cash  received  for  the 
same  is  not  set  down.  As  the  priests  do  nothing  on 
credit,  officiating  at  marriages  or  funerals,  selling 
indulgences  or  performing  masses  for  cash  only, 
this  good  man  must  have  realized  for  his  services,' 
in  the  aggregate,  at  the  very  lowest  reasonable  esti- 
mate, about  one  million  dollars.  Undoubtedly 
high  rates  were  sometimes  paid  to  get  a  very 
"hard  case"  out  of  purgatory.  Sinners  who 
dreaded  a  future  state  of  punishment,  as  a  just 
reward  for  their  evil  deeds  on  earth,  were  accus- 
tomed to  leave  Father  Concha  a  good  round  sum 
of  money,  to  pray  them  out  of  the  uncomfortable 
quarters  to  which  they  expected  to  be  consigned 
after  departing  from  this  life.  Like  a  certain 
shrewd  Irishman,  they  "  accepted  "  purgatory,  fear- 
ing they  might  go  further  and  fare  worse. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

An  Extinct  Volcano.  —  Mexican  Mountains.  —  The  Public  Insti- 
tutions of  the  Capital.  — The  Government  Palace.  —  The  Mu- 
seum. —  Maximilian's  State  Carriage.  —  A  Peculiar  Plant.  — 
The  Academy  of  Fine  Arts.  —  Choice  Paintings.  —  Art  School. 
—  Picture  Writing.  —  Native  Artists.  —  Exquisite  Pottery.  — 
Cortez's  Presents  to  Charles  V.  —  A  Special  Aztec  Art.  — 
The  Sacrificial  Stone.  —  Spanish  Historical  Authorities.  — 
Public  Library.  —  The  Plaza.  —  Flower  Market.  —  A  Morn- 
ing Visit.  —  Public  Market.  —  Concealed  Weapons. 

TliE  crater  of  Popocatepetl  —  being  an  extinct 
volcano  —  is  now  a  valuable  sulphur  mine.  To 
obtain  this  pi'oduct,  it  is  necessary  to  descend  into 
the  crater  by  means  of  a  rope,  one  of  great  length 
being  required  for  the  purpose  ;  and  when  a  cer- 
tain quantity  is  secured,  it  is  packed  in  mats  be- 
fore being  hoisted  to  the  mouth  of  the  crater.  The 
Indians  tie  these  packages  together ;  then,  making 
a  cushion  of  their  serapes,  they  slide  down  the 
mountain  as  far  as  the  snow  extends,  dragging 
the  mats  after  them.  On  the  north  side  of  the 
volcano,  near  the  limit  of  tree  growth,  the  sulphur 
is  distilled  in  iron  retorts,  and  is  then  ready  for 
the  market.  The  crater's  mouth  is  huge  in  dimen- 
sions, being  half  a  mile  in  diameter,  and  the 
amount  of  native  sulphur  deposited  there  is  enor- 
mous,—  practically  inexhaustible.  This  profitable 
sulphur  mine  is  owned,  or  was,  a  few  months  since, 
by  General  Ochoa,  a  resident  of  the  capital.  It  is 


A  SULPHUR  MINE.  151 

said  that  when  Cortez  had  expended  his  supply  of 
gunpowder,  he  resorted  to  the  crater  of  Popocate- 
petl for  sulphur  to  make  a  fresh  supply,  and  that 
the  natives  had  never  ascended  the  mountain  un- 
til the  Spaniards  showed  them  the  way.  Earth- 
quakes are  not  uncommon,  even  to-day,  near  the 
base  of  this  monarch  mountain  ;  but  no  eruption 
has  taken  place  since  1692.  Earthquakes  have 
always  been  more  or  less  common  in  Mexico,  but 
never  very  serious  in  the  capital;  otherwise,  with 
its  insecure  foundations,  it  must  have  suffered 
seriously.  Smoke  is  reported  to  have  been  seen 
bursting  forth  from  the  crater  of  Popocatepetl 
several  times  at  long  intervals,  but  no  positive 
volcanic  action  has  taken  place  since  the  date 
named.  Its  actual  height  is  given  by  the  best 
authorities  as  being  but  about  two  hundred  feet 
less  than  eighteen  thousand. 

One  is  apt  to  speculate  mentally,  while  gazing 
upon  it,  as  to  the  possibility  of  this  sleeping  vol- 
cano one  day  awaking  to  destructive  action.  That 
it  still  lives  is  clearly  seen  by  the  smoke  and  sul- 
phurous breath  which  it  exhales,  and  the  occa- 
sional significant  earthquakes  which  occur  about 
its  widespread  base.  There  are  seventeen  or  eigh- 
teen mountains  in  the  republic  which  rise  more  than 
ten  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  four 
of  which  are  over  fifteen  thousand  feet  in  height, 
Popocatepetl  being  the  loftiest  of  them  all.  Par- 
ties ascend  on  horseback  to  the  snow  line,  and 
from  thence  the  distance  to  the  summit  is  accom- 
plished on  foot.  Some  adventurous  people  make 
the  descent  into  the  crater  by  means  of  the  bucket 


152  AZTEC  LAND. 

and  windlass  used  by  the  sulphur-gatherers,  but 
the  most  inquisitive  can  see  all  that  they  desire 
from  the  northerly  edge  of  the  cone.  The  expedi- 
tions for  the  ascent  are  made  up  at  Amecameca. 
The  time  necessarily  occupied  is  about  three  days, 
and  the  cost  is  twenty-five  dollars  for  each  person. 
It  is  a  very  exhausting  excursion,  and  few  persons 
undertake  it. 

The  city  of  Mexico  is  famous  for  its  large  num- 
bers of  scientific,  literary,  and  charitable  institu- 
tions, its  many  schools,  primary  and  advanced, 
and  its  several  well-appointed  hospitals.  The  na- 
tional palace  covers  the  whole  eastern  side  of  the 
Plaza  Mayor,  having  a  frontage  of  nearly  seven 
hundred  feet,  and  occupies  the  site  of  the  royal 
residence  of  the  Montezumas,  if  we  may  credit  tra- 
dition. The  present  edifice  was  erected  in  1693, 
in  place  of  one  which  Cortez  and  the  Spanish  vice- 
roys had  occupied  until  it  was  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1692.  Though  the  palace  is  only  two  stories  in 
height,  yet  the  central  tower  over  the  main  en- 
trance and  the  finish  on  each  side  of  it  give  it  all 
necessary  prominence.  It  contains  the  President's 
suite  of  rooms,  and  those  devoted  to  the  various 
departments  of  the  state  officials.  The  hall  of 
ambassadors,  a  very  long,  narrow  apartment,  is 
interesting  on  account  of  its  life-size  portraits  of 
Mexican  rulers  from  the  period  of  independence,  a 
majority  of  whom  either  endured  exile  or  public 
execution !  At  the  extreme  end  of  this  hall  is  a 
very  good  full-length  portrait  of  our  Washington. 
Here,  also,  is  a  pretentious  battle-piece  by  a  native 
artist,  representing  the  battle  of  Puebla,  when  the 


INTERESTING  RELICS.  153 

French  were  so  completely  defeated.  The  picture 
is  entitled  "  Cinco  de  Mayo,"  the  date  of  the  con- 
flict. It  is  not  a  fine  specimen  of  art,  but  it  is 
certainly  a  very  effective  picture.  This  battle 
of  the  5th  of  May  was  another  Waterloo  for  the 
French.  An  apartment  known  as  Maximilian's 
room  is  shown  to  the  visitor,  situated  in  the  corner 
of  the  palace,  having  two  windows  at  right  angles 
and  thus  commanding  a  view  in  two  directions, 
one  window  overlooking  the  plaza,  the  other  the 
business  streets  leading  to  the  market.  A  room 
called  the  hall  of  Iturbide  is  hung  in  rich  crimson 
damask,  displaying  the  eagle  and  serpent,  which 
form  the  arms  of  Mexico.  The  edifice  contains  also 
the  General  Post-office  and  the  National  Museum. 
In  the  armory  of  the  palace  there  was  pointed  out 
to  us  the  stand  of  arms  with  which  the  Archduke 
Maximilian  and  his  two  faithful  officers  were  shot 
at  Queretaro.  In  the  grounds  which  form  the 
patio  of  the  palace,  a  small  botanical  garden  is 
maintained,  containing  many  exotics,  choice  trees 
and  plants,  besides  a  collection  of  those  indigenous 
to  the  country.  The  curiosities  in  the  department 
of  antiquity  of  the  museum  are  of  intense  interest. 
In  an  historical  point  of  view  they  are  invaluable. 
A  great  amount  of  money  and  intelligent  labor  has 
been  expended  upon  the  collection  with  highly  sat- 
isfactory results.  It  is  of  engaging  interest  to  the 
merest  museum  frequenter,  but  to  the  archasolo- 
gist  it  is  valuable  beyond  expression.  Here  are  also 
deposited  the  extensive  solid  silver  table-service 
imported  for  his  own  use  by  Maximilian,  and  also 
the  ridiculously  gilded  and  bedizened  state  carriage 


154  AZTEC  LAND. 

brought  hither  from  Europe,  built  after  the  Eng- 
lish style  of  the  seventeenth  century.  The  body 
of  the  vehicle  is  painted  red,  the  wheels  are  gilded, 
and  the  interior  is  lined  with  white  silk  brocade, 
heavily  trimmed  with  silver  and  gold  thread.  It 
surpasses  in  elegance  and  cost  any  royal  vehicle  to 
be  seen  in  Europe,  not  excepting  the  magnificent 
carriages  in  the  royal  stables  of  Vienna  and  St. 
Petersburg.  Among  the  personal  relics  seen  in  the 
museum  is  the  coat  of  mail  worn  by  Cortez  during 
his  battles  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  capital,  also  the 
silk  banner  which  was  borne  in  all  his  fights.  This 
small  flag  bears  a  remarkably  lovely  face  of  the 
Madonna,  which  must  have  been  the  work  of  a 
master  hand.  The  shield  of  Montezuma  is  also 
exhibited,  with  many  arms,  jewels,  and  picture 
writings,  these  last  relating  to  historic  matters, 
both  Toltec  and  Aztec.  The  great  sacrificial  stone 
of  the  aborigines,  placed  on  the  ground  floor  of  the 
museum,  is,  in  all  its  detail,  a  study  to  occupy  one 
for  days.  It  is  of  basalt,  elaborately  chiseled, 
measuring  nine  feet  in  diameter  and  three  feet  in 
height.  On  this  stone  the  lives  of  thousands  of  hu- 
man beings,  we  are  told,  were  offered  up  annually. 
The  municipal  palace  is  on  the  south  side  of  the 
plaza,  nearly  opposite  to  which  is  a  block  of  build- 
ings resting  upon  arcades  like  those  of  the  Rue 
Kivoli  in  Paris.  Let  us  not  forget  to  mention 
that  in  the  garden  of  the  national  palace  the  vis- 
itor is  shown  a  remarkable  floral  curiosity  called 
the  hand-tree,  covered  with  bright  scarlet  flowers, 
almost  exactly  in  the  shape  of  the  human  hand. 
This  is  the  Cheirostemon  pi atani folium  of  the 


ACADEMY  OF    FINE  AETS.  155 

botanists,  an  extremely  rare  plant,  three  specimens 
of  which  only  are  known  to  exist  in  Mexico. 

In  the  rear  of  the  national  palace  is  the  Acad- 
emy of  Fine  Arts,  generally  spoken  of  as  the 
Academy  of  San  Carlos,  —  named  in  honor  of 
Carlos  III.  of  Spain,  —  which  contains  three  or 
four  well-filled  apartments  of  paintings,  with  one 
and,  in  some  instances,  two  pictures  each  of  such 
masters  as  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  Velasquez,  Titian, 
Van  Dyck,  Rubens,  Perugino,  and  others.  There 
is  also  a  large  hall  of  sculpture  attached,  which 
presents  casts  of  many  well-known  and  classic 
originals.  This  department,  however,  does  not 
compare  well  with  the  rest  of  the  institution.  The 
art  gallery  will  be  sure  to  greatly  interest  the 
stranger,  as  being  the  foundation  of  an  institu- 
tion evidently  destined  in  time  to  reach  a  high 
degree  of  excellence.  Besides  possessing  several 
priceless  examples  by  the  old  masters,  there  are 
many  admirable  pictures,  the  result  of  native  tal- 
ent, which  are  remarkable  for  their  conception  and 
execution.  Two  large  canvases  by  Jose  Maria 
Velasco,  representing  the  Valley  of  Mexico,  form 
fine  and  striking  landscapes  which  few  modern 
painters  can  equal.  These  two  paintings  were  ex- 
hibited at  the  Philadelphia  Exposition,  and  won 
high  encomiums.  In  our  estimation,  the  gem  of 
the  galleries  is,  unquestionably,  the  large  canvas 
by  Felix  Parra,  a  native  artist.  It  is  entitled 
"  Las  Casas  protecting  the  Aztecs  from  slaughter 
by  the  Spaniards."  This  young  artist,  not  yet 
much  over  thirty  years  of  age,  has  given  us  in 
this  picture  an  original  conception  most  perfectly 


156  AZTEC  LAND. 

carried  out,  which  has  already  made  him  famous. 
It  was  painted  before  Parra  had  ever  seen  any 
other  country  except  Mexico,  but  it  won  for  him 
the  first  prize  at  the  Academy  of  Rome.  The 
original  painting  was  exhibited  at  the  New 
Orleans  Exposition  not  long  since,  eliciting  the 
highest  praise  from  art  critics.  It  is  worthy  of 
being  placed  in  the  Louvre  or  the  Uffizi.  One 
canvas,  entitled  "  The  Dead  Monk,"  attracted  us 
as  being  singularly  effective.  The  scene  repre- 
sents several  monks,  with  tapers  in  their  hands, 
surrounding  the  dead  body  of  a  brother  of  their 
order.  The  dim  light  illumines  the  scared  faces 
of  the  group,  as  it  falls  upon  the  calm,  white  fea- 
tures of  the  dead.  The  masterly  handling  of  color 
in  this  picture  has  rarely  been  excelled. 

The  Academy  of  San  Carlos  contains  an  art 
school  free  to  the  youth  of  the  city,  and  is  subsi- 
dized by  government  to  the  amount  of  thirty-five 
thousand  dollars  per  annum.  As  we  passed  through 
the  galleries,  a  large  class  of  intelligent-looking 
boys,  whose  age  might  have  ranged  from  twelve  to 
fifteen  years,  were  busily  engaged  with  their  pen- 
cils and  drawing-paper  in  copying  models  placed 
before  them,  under  the  supervision  of  a  compe- 
tent instructor.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  the  demo- 
cratic character  of  this  assemblage  of  pupils.  All 
classes  were  represented.  The  school  is  as  free 
to  the  son  of  a  peon  as  to  him  with  the  richest 
of  parents.  Prizes  are  given  for  meritorious  work 
by  the  students  ;  one  annual  prize  is  especially 
sought  for,  namely,  an  allowance  of  six  hundred 
dollars  a  year  for  six  years,  to  enable  the  recipi- 


NATIVE  ART.  157 

ent  to  study  art  abroad.  The  institution  is  in  a 
reasonably  flourishing  condition,  but  it  lacks  the 
stimulus  of  an  appreciative  community  to  foster 
its  growth  and  to  incite  emulation  among  its 
pupils.  Strangers  visit,  admire,  and  applaud,  but 
native  residents  exhibit  little  or  no  enthusiasm  for 
this  nucleus  of  the  fine  arts  in  the  national  capital. 
The  encouragement  offered  to  artists  in  any  line 
in  Mexico  is  extremely  small.  There  can  hardly 
be  said  to  be  any  home  demand  for  their  products. 
There  is  one  other  canvas,  seen  in  the  galleries, 
which  comes  back  to  memory,  and  of  which  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  speak  in  commendation.  The  artist's 
name  has  escaped  us,  but  the  admirable  and  effec- 
tive picture  represented  "  Columbus  contemplating 
the  Sea." 

Art  should  certainly  be  at  home  in  Mexico, 
where  it  has  found  expression  in  various  forms  for 
hundreds  of  years.  What  were  the  picture-writ- 
ings of  the  aborigines  but  early  examples  of  art? 
There  are  numerous  specimens  of  Aztec  paintings 
illustrative  of  the  early  history  of  Mexico,  which 
were  produced  long  before  the  arrival  of  the  con- 
quering Spaniards.  Some  of  these  on  deerskin, 
and  some  on  a  sort  of  parchment,  or  papyrus, 
which  the  Toltecs  and  Aztecs  made  from  the  leaves 
of  the  maguey  plant,  may  be  seen  in  European  mu- 
seums. They  show  that  the  arts  of  metal  casting 
and  the  manufacture  of  cotton  and  of  jewelry  were 
derived  from  the  Toltecs  by  the  Aztecs.  There  are 
plenty  of  examples  to  be  seen  showing  that  these 
aborigines  were  admirable  workers  in  silver  and 
gold.  So  eager  was  Cortez  to  send  large  sums  of 


158  AZTEC  LAND. 

gold  to  his  sovereign,  and  thus  to  win  ro}Tal  for- 
giveness and  countenance  as  regarded  his  gross 
insubordination  in  stealing  away  from  Cuba,  and 
in  boldly  taking  upon  himself  all  the  preroga- 
tives of  a  viceroy,  that  he  not  only  extorted  every 
ounce  of  gold  dust  he  could  possibly  obtain  from 
the  natives  of  the  conquered  provinces,  but  he 
melted  many  of  their  beautiful  and  precious  orna- 
ments into  more  available  shape  for  his  purpose. 
Some  of  these  he  transmitted  to  Spain,  where,  in 
course  of  time,  they  also  shared  the  same  fate. 
The  aggregate  sum  thus  sent  by  him  to  Spain,  as 
given  in  the  records  of  the  period,  was  so  large  as 
to  provoke  our  incredulity.  Were  specimens  of 
those  golden  ornaments,  the  product  of  Toltec  and 
Aztec  art,  now  extant,  they  would  be  worth  fifty 
times  their  weight  in  gold,  and  form  tangible  links 
of  history  connecting  the  present  with  the  far  past. 
This  native  art  has  been  handed  down  from  gen- 
eration to  generation  ;  and  there  is  nothing  of  the 
sort  made  in  the  world  superior  to  Mexican  silver 
filigree  work,  which  recalls  the  lace-like  texture  of 
similar  ornaments  manufactured  at  Genoa.  Again, 
illustrative  of  this  natural  instinct  for  art  in  the 
aborigines,  let  us  not  forget  to  speak  of  the  colored 
straw  pictures  produced  by  the  Indian  women, 
representing  natural  scenery  and  prominent  build- 
ings, done  with  wonderful  fidelity,  even  in  the 
matter  of  perspective.  Statuettes  or  wax  figures 
are  also  made  by  them,  representing  the  native 
laboring  classes  and  street  scenes  to  the  very 
life.  This  is  a  sort  of  specialty  in  Naples  ;  but  we 
have  never  seen  one  of  these  small  Italian  figures 


FEATHER  WORK.  159 

superior  to  those  which  one  can  buy  in  the  stores 
on  San  Francisco  Street  in  Mexico,  all  of  which 
are  the  work  of  untaught  native  Indians.  While 
we  are  writing  these  lines,  there  stands  upon  our 
library  table  a  specimen  of  Mexican  pottery  which 
we  brought  from  Guadalajara.  It  is  of  an  antique 
pattern,  made  by  hand  in  an  Indian  mud  cabin, 
beautifully  decorated  and  glazed,  combining  colors 
which  mingle  in  perfect  harmony.  This  is  not  an 
organized  industry  here.  Each  family  produces 
its  own  ware  for  sale  ;  and  no  two  pieces  can  be 
exactly  similar.  No  people,  unless  possessed  of  a 
high  degree  of  artistic  instinct  and  appreciation, 
could  produce  pottery,  either  in  shape  or  finish, 
such  as  the  traveler  sees  at  Guadalajara. 

We  are  told  that  the  ancient  Aztecs  excelled 
in  one  branch  of  art  above  all  others ;  namely,  in 
the  production  of  scenes  and  various  ornamenta- 
tions in  feather  work,  the  effect  of  which  is  similar 
to  Florentine  mosaic.  The  gorgeous  plumage  of 
the  humming-bird  and  of  parrots  was  especially 
devoted  to  this  object.  The  feathers,  glued  upon 
a  cotton  web,  were  made  into  dresses  for  the 
wealthy  to  wear  on  festal  occasions.  The  grada- 
tions and  brilliancy  of  these  feather  pictures  are 
said  to  have  been  marvelous.  There  is  preserved 
in  the  museum  at  the  national  capital  a  vestment 
of  this  character,  said  to  have  been  worn  by  Mon- 
tezuma  II.  Antonio  de  Solis,  royal  historiogra- 
pher, speaks  of  "  a  quantity  of  plumes  and  other 
curiosities  made  from  feathers,"  by  the  Aztecs, 
"  whose  beauty  and  natural  variety  of  colors,  found 
on  the  native  birds  of  the  country,  were  placed  and 


160  AZTEC  LAND. 

combined  with  wonderful  art,  distributing  the  sev- 
eral colors  and  shadowing  the  light  with  the  dark 
so  exactly,  that,  without  making  use  of  artificial 
colors  or  of  the  pencil,  they  could  draw  pictures, 
and  would  undei-take  to  imitate  nature."  One  is 
constantly  importuned,  in  the  patio  of  the  Iturbide 
Hotel,  to  purchase  figures  and  small  landscapes 
newly  made  of  these  brilliant  feathers,  offered  at 
a  very  moderate  price.  Indeed,  their  production 
forms  quite  an  industry  among  a  certain  class  of 
Indians.  So  it  seems  that  this  art  has  been  in- 
herited; there  being  no  present  market  for  such 
elaborate  examples  as  used  to  be  produced,  the 
fine  artistic  ability  of  centuries  past  is  neither  de- 
manded, nor  does  it  exist.  According  to  one 
Spanish  authority  (Clavigero),  so  abundant  were 
sculptured  images  that  the  foundation  of  the  cathe- 
dral on  the  Plaza  Mayor  is  entirely  composed  of 
them !  Another  writer  of  the  same  nationality 
(Gama)  says  that  a  new  cellar  cannot  be  dug  in 
the  capital  without  turning  up  some  of  the  mould- 
ering relics  of  barbaric  art.  As  cellars  cannot  be 
dug  at  all  on  account  of  the  mere  crust  of  earth 
existing  above  the  water,  this  veracious  historian 
could  not  have  written  from  personal  knowledge, 
or  have  visited  the  country.  It  is  these  irrespon- 
sible writers  who  have  made  "  history "  to  suit 
their  own  purposes.  Father  Torquemada  surpasses 
Baron  Munchausen  when  he  tells  us  that,  at  the 
dedication  of  a  certain  aboriginal  temple,  a  proces- 
sion of  persons  two  miles  long,  numbering  seventy- 
two  thousand,  perished  on  the  sacrificial  stone, 
which  is  now  exhibited  in  the  National  Museum 


PUBLIC  LIBRARY.  161 

of  Mexico.  This  stone,  by  the  way,  is  to  our  mind 
clearly  Toltec,  not  Aztec.  Examination  shows  it 
to  be  identical  with  the  stone  relics  of  Tula,  the 
original  capital  of  the  Toltecs.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  the  "  Calendar  Stone,"  placed  in  the  outer 
walls  of  the  cathedral. 

The  National  Conservatory  of  Music,  dating 
from  January  25,  1553,  is  near  at  hand ;  so  also  is 
the  National  Library,  where  the  admirable  collec- 
tion of  books  numbers  nearly  two  hundred  thou- 
sand. The  confiscated  convent  of  Saint  Augustine 
serves  as  an  appropriate  building  for  this  library 
of  choice  books.  We  say  of  choice  books,  not 
only  because  they  are  many  of  them  unique,  but 
because  all  books  are  choice,  being  sources  from 
which  the  careful  student  and  historian  can  cull 
true  history  and  philosophy.  He  does  not  accept 
each  and  all  of  the  statements  which  are  here  pre- 
sented, but  from  the  collated  mass  culls  the  truth- 
ful deductions.  These  books  very  largely  and 
very  naturally  relate  to  religious  subjects,  as  they 
are  mostly  made  up  from  the  confiscated  con- 
vent libraries  heretofore  existing  in  Mexico.  Val- 
uable modern  and  secular  books  have  been  added 
to  these  collections  from  time  to  time.  Our  atten- 
tion was  called  to  a  volume  bearing  the  date  of 
1472,  and  to  one  still  older  which  was  printed  in 
two  colors.  There  is  here  an  atlas  of  England 
which  was  printed  in  Amsterdam  in  1659,  with 
steel  plates,  and  in  colors  which  are  as  bright  and 
fresh  as  though  just  from  the  press.  A  Spanish 
and  Mexican  dictionary,  printed  in  Mexico  in  1571, 
showed  how  early  the  printing-press  followed  the 


162  AZTEC  LAND. 

period  of  the  conquest.  A  book  of  autographs 
bearing  the  names  of  Cortez's  notable  soldiers  was 
interesting.  This,  we  understood,  was  one  of  the 
much-coveted  prizes  which  has  been  sought  by 
foreign  collectors.  The  manuscripts  are  of  great 
antiquity  and  interest.  One  was  in  the  form  of 
a  large  volume,  done  with  the  pen  in  old  Eng- 
lish letters;  another,  very  highly  prized,  is  of 
painted  pictures,  which  purports  to  be  original  dis- 
patches from  Montezuma  to  his  allies,  and  which 
was  captured  by  Cortez.  This  last  is  on  a  roll  of 
prepared  deerskin.  The  richly-carved  front  of  the 
library  is  a  profound  study  in  itself,  and  is  the 
work  of  a  native  artist.  The  fence  which  incloses 
the  edifice  is  ornamented  with  marble  busts  of  fa- 
mous scientists,  orators,  and  authors,  while  beauti- 
ful flowers  grace  the  small  plot  in  front,  the  whole 
made  refreshingly  cool  by  the  playing  of  a  small 
fountain.  This  library  contains  books  in  all  lan- 
giiages,  and  bearing  dates  of  four  hundred  years 
since.  Some  of  these  books  are  almost  priceless 
in  value,  very  old,  and  believed  to  be  unique.  We 
were  told  that  an  agent  of  the  British  Museum, 
who  came  thousands  of  miles  for  the  purpose,  had 
offered  a  fabulous  price  for  some  half  a  dozen  vol- 
umes on  the  shelves  of  the  National  Library  of 
Mexico ;  but  he  offered  the  princely  sum  in  vain, 
—  a  fact  which  speaks  well  for  those  in  authority. 
The  library  has  no  systematic  arrangement  and  no 
catalogue. 

The  Plaza  Mayor  must  be  fully  a  thousand  feet 
square.  It  was  laid  out  and  beautified  under  the 
personal  direction  of  the  youthful,  handsome,  and 


FLOWER  MARKET.  1G3 

would-be  empress,  Carlotta,  who  exhibited  exqui- 
site taste  in  such  matters,  and  hesitated  at  no  cost 
to  carry  out  her  imperial  will,  freely  expending 
from  her  private  fortune  for  the  purpose.  In  the 
centre  of  the  plaza  is  the  Zacalo,  so  called,  screened 
with  groups  of  orange-trees,  choice  shrubbery,  and 
flowers.  Here  there  is  a  music  stand  and  foun- 
tain, where  frequent  out-of-door  concerts  are  given 
by  military  bands,  especially  in  the  evenings.  At 
the  western  side  of  the  square,  under  the  shadow 
of  the  cathedral,  is  the  flower  market,  rendering 
the  whole  neighborhood  fragrant  in  the  early 
mornings  with  the  perfume  it  exhales,  while  it  de- 
lights the  eye  with  hillocks  of  bright  color.  This 
market  is  in  an  iron  pavilion  covered  in  part  with 
glass,  the  lovely  goods  presided  over  by  nut-brown 
women  and  pretty  Indian  girls.  Barbaric  as  the 
Aztecs  were,  they  had  a  true  love  and  tenderness 
for  flowers,  using  them  freely  in  their  religious 
rites,  a  taste  which  three  hundred  years  and  more 
of  oppression,  together  with  foreign  and  civil  wars, 
has  not  served  to  extinguish.  The  most  abundant 
specimens  of  the  floral  kingdom  one  meets  with 
here  are  red  and  white  roses,  very  finely  developed, 
pinks  of  all  colors,  violets,  mignonette,  heliotrope, 
scarlet  and  white  poppies,  pansies,  and  forget-me- 
nots.  Such  flowers  were  artistically  mingled  in 
large  bouquets,  with  a  delicate  backing  of  maiden- 
hair fern,  and  sold  for  fifteen  cents  each.  There  is 
no  fixed  tariff  of  prices,  strangers  naturally  paying 
much  more  than  the  residents,  and  the  sum  first 
demanded  being  usually  double  what  will  be  finally 
received,  —  a  manner  of  trade  which  is  by  no 


164  AZTEC  LAND. 

means  confined  to  the  Spanish-speaking  races.  It 
must  be  remembered  that  although  these  are  cul- 
tivated flowers,  still  the}7  bloom  out-of-doors  all 
the  year  round.  The  women  venders  emulate  their 
lovely  wares  in  the  colors  they  assume  in  their  cos- 
tumes. The  dahlia,  we  are  told,  first  came  from 
the  valley  of  Mexico.  The  universal  love  of  flow- 
ers finds  expression  in  the  houses,  not  only  of  the 
rich,  but  in  those  of  the  very  humble  poor,  all  over 
the  town  and  the  environs. 

It  was  interesting  to  note  the  special  class  of 
customers  drawn  in  the  early  morning  to  this  flower 
pagoda.  These  were  the  true  lovers  of  Flora,  bent 
upon  securing  their  favorites  while  damp  with 
dewy  sweetness.  There  was  the  very  humble  but 
appreciative  purchaser,  who  invested  only  a  few 
centavos,  but  took  away  a  choice  collection  of 
bright  colors  and  of  mingled  fragrance.  Here 
was  an  ardent  lover,  all  eagerness,  who  would 
write  his  words  of  devotion  to  his  idol  in  the  al- 
phabet of  angels.  Now  and  then  an  American 
tourist  was  seen  to  carry  away  an  armful  of  bou- 
quets to  bestow  with  impartial  hand  among  his 
lady  friends.  Looking  on  at  the  suggestive  scene 
is  a  scantily-clad  Indian  girl,  with  a  curious  hun- 
gry expression  upon  her  face.  Is  it  flowers  or 
food  that  she  craves  ?  She  shall  have  both.  How 
rich  the  color  of  her  cheek ;  how  eloquent  the  ex- 
pression of  her  dark  eyes  ;  how  grateful  her  hesi- 
tating smile,  as  she  receives  from  the  stranger  a 
piece  of  silver  and  a  cluster  of  flowers  ! 

On  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  cathedral  a 
sort  of  daily  fair  is  held,  where  a  most  incongru- 


THE  MARKET-PLACE.  165 

ous  trade  is  carried  on  amid  great  confusion  ;  but 
there  are  no  more  male  and  female  slaves  offered 
for  sale  here,  as  in  the  days  of  the  Spanish  victors. 
Slavery  existed  both  under  Aztec  and  Spanish 
rule  ;  but  it  was  abolished,  as  an  institution,  soon 
after  the  establishment  of  Mexican  independence. 
The  match  boys,  lottery-ticket  venders,  fruit  men, 
ice-cream  hawkers,  cigar  and  cigarette  dealers,  and 
candy  women  (each  with  a  baby  tied  to  her  back), 
rend  the  air  with  their  harsh  and  varied  cries, 
while  the  stranger  is  quickly  discovered,  and  im- 
portuned to  the  verge  of  endurance.  We  were 
told  that  this  army  of  hawkers  and  peddlers  were 
allowed  just  in  the  shadow  of  the  church  by  spe- 
cial permit,  a  percentage  of  the  benefit  derived 
from  the  sales  accruing  to  the  priests,  who  carry 
on  their  profession  inside  the  walls  of  the  grand 
and  beautiful  edifice,  where  a  less  noisy,  but  quite 
as  commercial  a  performance  is  going  on  all  the 
while,  "  indulgences  "  being  bartered  and  sold  to 
moneyed  sinners  nearly  every  hour  of  the  day. 

The  principal  market-place  has  always  been 
near  the  plaza,  at  its  southwest  end,  a  single  block 
away ;  but  a  new  and  more  spacious  one  is  in  course 
of  erection  at  this  writing,  progress  being  made  in 
the  usual  mahana  style.  Sunday  morning  is  the 
great  market  day  of  the  week,  the  same  as  in  all 
Mexican  cities,  when  there  is  here  a  confusion 
of  tongues  that  would  silence  the  hubbub  of  the 
Paris  Bourse.  How  a  legitimate  business  can  bs 
accomplished  under  such  circumstances  is  a  mar- 
vel. Each  line  of  trade  has  its  special  location, 
but  confusion  reigns  supreme. 


166  AZTEC  LAND. 

In  passing  through  the  Calle  de  San  Francisco, 
we  were  struck  with  the  difference  of  temperature 
between  the  sunny  and  the  shady  sides  of  the 
street.  It  must  have  been  fully  ten  degrees.  One 
becomes  uncomfortably  warm  while  walking  in  the 
sunshine,  but  upon  crossing  into  the  shade  he  is 
quickly  chilled  by  the  frostiness  of  the  still,  dry 
atmosphere  and  a  realizing  sense  of  dampness  be- 
neath his  feet.  "  Only  dogs  and  Americans  walk 
on  the  sunny  side,"  say  the  Mexicans.  To  this  we 
can  only  answer  by  commending  the  discretion  of 
both  men  and  beasts.  In  the  early  evening,  as 
soon  as  the  sun  sets,  the  natives  begin  to  wrap  up 
their  throats  and  faces,  even  in  midsummer.  Yet 
they  seem  to  avoid  the  sun  while  it  shines  in  the 
middle  of  the  day. 

In  New  Zealand  and  Alaska,  when  two  natives 
meet  each  other  and  desire  to  express  pleasure  at 
the  circumstance,  they  rub  their  noses  together. 
In  Mexico,  if  two  gentlemen  meet  upon  the  street 
or  elsewhere  after  a  considerable  absence,  they 
embrace  cordially  and  pat  each  other  on  the  back 
in  the  most  demonstrative  manner,  just  as  two  pai'- 
ties  fall  on  each  other's  neck  in  a  stage  embrace. 
To  a  cool  looker-on  this  seemed  rather  a  waste  of 
the  raw  material,  taking  place  between  two  individ- 
uals of  the  same  sex.  In  Japan,  two  persons  on 
meeting  in  public  begin  bowing  their  bodies  until 
the  forehead  nearly  touches  the  ground,  repeating 
this  movement  a  score  of  times.  In  China,  two 
gentlemen  who  meet  greet  each  other  by  shaking 
their  own  left  hand  in  their  right.  In  Norway  and 
Sweden,  the  greeting  is  made  by  taking  off  and 


CONCEALED  WEAPONS.  167 

replacing  the  hat  half  a  dozen  times ;  the  greater 
number  of  times,  the  more  cordial  is  the  greeting 
considered ;  but  in  Mexico  it  is  nothing  more  nor 
less  than  an  embrace  with  both  arms. 

The  carrying  of  concealed  weapons  is  prohibited 
by  law  in  the  United  States  and  some  other  coun- 
tries, but  in  Mexico  a  statute  is  not  permitted  to 
be  simply  a  dead  letter.  "NVhile  we  were  at  the  Itur- 
bide,  the  police  of  the  capital  were  vigorously  en- 
forcing a  new  law,  which  forbids  the  carrying  of  any 
sort  of  deadly  weapon  except  in  open  sight.  The 
common  people  were  being  searched  for  knives,  of 
which,  when  found,  they  were  instantly  deprived, 
so  that  at  one  of  the  police  stations  there  was  a 
pile  of  these  articles  six  feet  high  and  four  wide. 
They  were  in  all  manner  of  shapes,  short  and  long, 
sharp  and  dull,  daggerlike  or  otherwise,  but  all 
worn  for  the  purpose  either  of  assault  or  defense. 
They  came  from  the  possession  of  the  humble  na- 
tives, who  could  not  plead  that  they  kept  them  for 
domestic  uses  or  for  eating  purposes,  since  they 
use  neither  knife  nor  fork  in  that  process.  We 
were  told  that  this  wholesale  seizure  had  been  go- 
ing on  for  a  month  or  more,  the  police  stopping 
any  person  whom  they  chose  in  order  to  search 
them  in  the  street.  Such  a  thing  as  resistance  is 
not  thought  of  by  a  peon  ;  he  knows  that  it  is  of 
no  sort  of  use,  and  will  be  the  cause  of  sending 
him  to  prison  immediately.  Quarrels  at  low  drink- 
ing places  are  no  longer  followed  by  the  use  of 
knives.  It  was  the  frequency  of  these  assaults 
which  filled  the  hospitals  with  victims  and  caused 
the  passage  of  a  law  which  meets  the  exigencies 


168  AZTEC  LAND. 

of  the  case.  The  fine  for  carrying  concealed  wea- 
pons is  heavy,  besides  involving-  the  penalty  of  im- 
prisonment. A  certain  class  of  persons  coming 
from  out  of  the  city  are  permitted  to  carry  revol- 
vers, but  they  must  be  in  a  belt  and  in  full  sight. 
Probably  no  municipal  law  was  ever  more  thor- 
oughly enforced  than  this  of  disarming  the  com- 
mon class  of  this  city. 

The  tramway  facilities  are  so  complete  in  the 
city  of  Mexico  that  one  has  very  little  occasion 
to  employ  hackney  coaches.  Sometimes,  however, 
these  will  be  found,  if  not  absolutely  necessary, 
yet  a  great  convenience.  The  legal  charges  are 
very  moderate,  and  may  well  be  so,  for  the  entire 
turnout  is  usually  of  a  most  broken-down  charac- 
ter, —  poor  horses,  or  mules,  a  stupid  driver,  and 
a  dirty  interior,  with  such  a  variety  of  offensive 
smells  as  to  cause  one  to  enter  into  an  analysis  to 
decide  which  predominates.  One  dollar  an  hour 
is  the  average  charge  made  for  these  vehicles,  the 
driver  expecting,  as  in  similar  cases  in  Paris,  Ber- 
lin, or  elsewhere,  a  trifle  as  a  pourboire  at  the  end 
of  the  service  for  which  he  is  engaged.  Where 
these  ruinous  structures  which  pass  for  public  car- 
riages originally  came  from  is  a  conundrum ;  but 
there  can  be  no  possible  doubt  as  to  their  an- 
tiquity. Mexican  fleas,  like  those  of  Naples  and 
continental  Spain,  are  both  omnivorous  and  carni- 
vorous, and  these  vehicles  are  apt  to  be  itinerant 
asylums  for  this  pest  of  the  low  latitudes.  There 
are  three  grades  of  hackney  coaches  in  the  capital, 
those  comparatively  decent,  another  class  one  de- 
gree less  desirable,  and  a  third  into  which  one  will 


PUBLIC  VEHICLES.  1G9 

get  when  compelled  to  do  so,  not  otherwise.  Each 
of  these  grades  is  designated  by  a  small  metal  sign 
in  the  shape  of  a  flag,  of  a  certain  color,  and  the 
charges  are  graduated  accordingly.  As  to  the 
drivers,  they  are  not  such  outright  swindlers  as 
those  of  their  tribe  in  New  York,  nor  by  any 
means  so  tidy  and  intelligent  as  those  of  Boston. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  City  of  Vistas.  —  Want  of  Proper  Drainage.  —  Unfortunate 
Site.  —  Insecure  Foundations.  —  A  Boom  in  Building  Lots.  — 
Pleasant  Suburbs.  — Night  Watchmen.  — The  Iturbide  Hotel. 
—  A  Would-be  Emperor.  —  Domestic  Arrangements.  —  A 
New  Hotel  wanted.  —  Places  of  Public  Entertainment.  —  The 
Bidl  Ring.  —  Repulsive  Performance.  —  Monte  de  Piedad.  — 
An  English  Syndicate  purchase  it.  —  The  Alameda.  —  The 
Inquisition.  —  Festal  Days.  —  Pulque  Shops.  —  The  Church 
Party.  —  Gilded  Bar-Rooms. — Mexican  Marriages.  —  Mothers 
and  Infants.  — A  Family  Group. 

MEXICO  is  a  city  of  vistas.  One  looks  down 
the  long  perspective  of  a  thoroughfare  north,  south, 
east,  or  west,  and  at  the  end  he  sees  the  pur- 
ple mountains,  some  far  away,  some  quite  near 
to  view,  some  apparently  three  miles  off,  some 
sixty ;  but  the  air  is  so  transparent  that  even  the 
most  distant  objects  seem  to  be  very  near  at  hand. 
Beneath  the  plain  which  immediately  surrounds 
the  city  is  a  dry  marsh  which  was  a  broad  lake  in 
Cortez's  day,  —  indeed,  it  is  a  lake  still,  four  or 
five  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  ground,  contain- 
ing the  accumulated  drainage  of  centuries.  The 
site  of  the  national  capital  was  formerly  an  island, 
only  a  trifle  above  the  level  of  Lake  Texcoco ; 
hence  there  are  no  cellars  possible  beneath  the 
dwelling-houses  of  the  populace.  Herein  lies  the 
secret  of  the  want  of  drainage,  and  of  the  unplea- 
sant and  unwholesome  odors  which  are  constantly 


FLOODED  STREETS.  171 

saluting  the  senses  and  challenging  the  remarks  of 
strangers.  Were  it  not  for  the  absence  of  atmos- 
pheric moisture  in  this  high  altitude,  where  perish- 
able articles  of  food  dry  up  and  do  not  spoil  by 
mould  or  putrefaction,  the  capital  would  be  swept 
by  pestilence  annually,  being  underlaid  by  a  soil 
reeking  with  pollution.  As  it  is,  typhoid  fever  pre- 
vails, and  the  average  duration  of  life  in  the  city 
is  recorded  at  a  fraction  over  twenty-six  years ! 
Lung  and  malarial  diseases  hold  a  very  prominent 
place  among  the  given  causes  of  mortality.  Owing 
to  the  proximity  of  the  mountains,  the  rains  some- 
times assume  the  character  of  floods.  A  resident 
friend  of  the  author's  told  him  that  he  had  seen 
the  surrounding  streets  and  the  Plaza  Mayor  cov- 
ered with  two  feet  of  water,  extending  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  up  San  Francisco  Street  after  a  sharp 
summer  shower,  which  did  not  continue  much 
more  than  an  hour.  Of  course  this  gradually  sub- 
sides ;  but  the  inconvenience  of  such  an  episode  in 
a  busy  city,  not  to  speak  of  its  unwholesomeness,  is 
a  serious  matter.  The  wonder  is  that  Cortez,  after 
destroying  the  Aztec  capital,  should  have  rebuilt  it 
on  so  undesirable  a  site,  while  there  was  plenty  of 
higher  and  more  inviting  ground  close  at  hand. 
To  this  blunder  is  owing  the  unhealthfulness  of  a 
city  which  might  have  been  rendered  one  of  the 
most  salubrious  dwelling-places  on  the  continent,  if 
placed  on  any  of  the  neighboring  elevated  lands, 
with  their  possibilities  for  pure  air,  their  location 
above  fogs,  and  their  being  so  entirely  out  of  the 
range  of  devastating  storms.  Peter  the  Great  had 
good  and  sufficient  reason  for  building  his  capital 


172  AZTEC  LAND. 

at  such  enormous  expense  upon  maraihy  ground  be- 
side the  Neva,  but  one  can  see  no  good  reason  for 
Cortez's  choice  of  a  site  for  this  capital.  History 
gives  us  ail  account  of  seven  disastrous  floods 
which  have  occurred  in  this  city  since  1521,  all  of 
which  were  accompanied  with  serious  loss  of  life, 
as  well  as  great  destruction  of  property.  If  a 
broad  channel  could  be  opened  so  as  to  reach  the 
Tula  River,  some  forty  miles  away,  adequate  drain- 
age might  be  obtained  for  the  capital.  This  is  too 
stupendous  an  undertaking,  however,  for  Mexican 
capital  or  enterprise.  Perhaps  a  foreign  company 
will  some  day  accomplish  it ;  but  whether  such  a 
scheme  would  be  a  safe  one,  quicn  scibe?  It  is  pos- 
sible that  in  attempting  to  procure  perfect  drain- 
age, even  a  worse  condition  of  affairs  might  be 
brought  about.  The  city,  it  will  be  understood, 
rests  upon  a  body  of  water  supported  by  an  inter- 
vening stratum  of  earth  and  accumulated  debris. 
If  this  buried  lake  were  to  be  drained,  that  is, 
absolutely  removed,  would  not  a  collapse  of  some 
sort  necessarily  take  place  ?  What  would  support 
the  present  frail  foundations  of  the  city  buildings, 
which  seem  to  be  now  sustained  by  hydraulic 
pressure  ?  Even  as  it  is,  no  heavy  structure  can  be 
found  in  the  limits  of  the  capital  which  is  not  more 
or  less  out  of  plumb,  in  emulation  of  the  leaning 
tower  of  Pisa.  The  thick  walls  of  the  Iturbide 
Hotel  are  so  full  of  cracks  and  crevices,  caused  by 
the  settling  here  and  there  of  its  insecure  foun- 
dation, as  to  cause  anxiety  and  constant  remark 
among  its  guests.  There  is  another  consideration 
worthy  of  mention.  It  is  said  by  persons  whose 


DANGEE  FEOM  INUNDATIONS.  173 

intelligence  makes  their  opinion  worthy  of  con- 
sideration, that  during  the  severe  earthquake  which 
took  place  here  in  1882,  the  nearness  of  the  water 
to  the  surface  of  the  earth  prevented  the  city  from 
the  destruction  which  was  imminent.  This  cer- 
tainly may  have  been  a  correct  deduction. 

As  the  city  is  in  the  lowest  part  of  the  valley, 
and  all  the  lakes  except  that  of  Texcoco  are  above 
its  level,  there  is  no  positive  safety  from  inunda- 
tion at  any  hour.  The  lake  just  named  is  said  to 
be  only  about  two  feet  below  the  level  of  the  city 
plaza.  As  the  valley  is  entirely  closed  by  a  wall 
of  mountains,  there  is  no  natural  outlet  for  these 
extensive  waters.  Lake  Zumpango,  with  a  surface 
ten  miles  square,  is  twenty-nine  feet  higher  than 
the  average  level  of  the  city  of  Mexico.  Such 
drainage  as  is  contemplated  must  tap  and  carry 
away  these  lakes  also,  to  obviate  the  danger  of 
their  flooding  the  capital  on  any  extraordinary 
emergency,  else  it  will  be  of  little  avail. 

At  this  writing  there  is  quite  a  "  boom  "  in  land 
in  the  neighboring  suburbs  of  San  Angel  and 
Tacubaya,  which  present  most  desirable  building 
localities,  and  are  free  from  the  prominent  objec- 
tions of  the  capital  itself.  The  latter  suburb  al- 
ready contains  nearly  ten  thousand  inhabitants. 
It  is  situated  on  a  hillside,  sloping  towards  the 
northwest.  In  its  present  form  the  town  is  quite 
modern,  but  from  the  earliest  times  there  has  been 
a  village  here.  After  the  great  inundation  of  1629, 
the  project  of  making  this  the  site  of  the  capital 
was  seriously  considered.  There  is  already  a  small 
alameda  and  a  miniature  plaza  in  Tacubaya. 


174  AZTEC  LAND. 

San  Angel  is  a  couple  of  miles  further  away  from 
tlie  city,  and  is  also  built  on  a  hillside,  amid  or- 
chards and  gardens.  The  deserted  and  ancient 
Carmelite  monastery  is  a  feature  of  this  place. 
Both  Tacubaya  and  San  Angel  can  be  reached  al- 
most any  hour  of  the  day  from  Mexico  by  tramway, 
the  cars  starting  from  the  Plaza  Mayor.  It  was 
noticed  that  considerable  building  for  domestic 
purposes  was  going  on  in  both  of  these  places, 
but  principally  at  Tacubaya,  and  it  is  thought 
the  citizens  of  Mexico  are  "  hedging,"  as  it  were, 
by  providing  themselves  with  pleasant  and  health- 
ful homes  in  anticipation  of  some  sort  of  collapse 
which  must  sooner  or  later  befall  the  business  por- 
tions of  the  capital.  There  is  universal  complaint 
regarding  the  high  price  of  rents  in  the  city  for 
respectable  residences,  quite  a  percentage  having 
been  added  to  the  rates  heretofore  charged  each 
succeeding  year.  Drainage  is  more  and  more 
seriously  thought  of  by  cutting  an  outlet  of  some 
sort,  as  we  have  suggested,  and  what  result  may 
follow  remains  to  be  seen.  That  there  is  a  steady 
growth  of  population  and  business  here  is  per- 
fectly obvious,  stimulated  by  closer  business  con- 
nections with  the  United  States,  which  are  being 
constantly  added  to.  People  who  look  in  advance 
see  that  ten  years  hence  the  two  suburban  towns 
will  practically  be  part  and  parcel  of  the  city 
proper.  The  new  buildings  now  erecting  in  Ta- 
cubaya are  observed  to  be  of  stone,  and  built 
to  last.  Wooden  structures  are  almost  unknown. 
Iron  is  used  for  many  purposes,  taking  the  place 
of  wooden  beams,  as  in  this  country.  AVe  were 


NAMES  OF  STREETS.  175 

assured  by  intelligent  persons  that  all  skilled  me- 
chanics were  busy,  such  as  masons,  iron-workers, 
plasterers,  and  carpenters.  It  is  surprising  to  the 
writer  that  more  has  not  been  said  relative  to 
the  extraordinary  growth  and  prosperity  of  the 
national  capital  of  Mexico.  The  most  prominent 
agent  in  bringing  all  this  about  is  undoubtedly  the 
Mexican  Central  Railroad. 

One  easily  becomes  acquainted  with  the  topog- 
raphy of  the  city,  each  point  of  the  compass  lead- 
ing directly  to  the  mountains,  while  the  town  itself 
forms  a  perfect  level.  The  chief  business  street 
leads  from  the  railroad  depot  to  the  Plaza  Mayor. 
The  most  fashionable  shopping  street  is  that  known 
as  the  Street  of  the  Silversmiths.  It  is  of  good 
width,  and  nearly  a  mile  long.  Calle  de  San  Fran- 
cisco is  another  of  the  main  business  thorough- 
fares. As  a  rule,  the  many  sacred  titles  given  to 
the  streets  come  from  the  names  of  churches  or  con- 
vents which  stood  or  still  stand  in  them.  Thus  the 
Street  of  the  Holy  Ghost  contains  the  church  so 
designated.  Several  of  the  most  important  ave- 
nues, beside  the  Plaza  Mayor  and  the  alameda,  are 
lighted  by  electricity,  other  portions  of  the  city 
proper  by  gas,  and  the  outlying  districts  by  oil-fed 
lanterns.  One  peculiar  object,  always  observable 
in  the  city  at  night,  is  the  bright  lantern  of  the 
policeman  of  the  immediate  beat,  placed  in  the 
middle  of  the  junction  of  the  streets,  with  the  man 
himself  standing  beside  it,  ready  to  answer  any 
legitimate  call  for  his  services.  The  police  system 
of  the  capital  is  certainly  excellent,  and  in  the  two 
weeks  which  we  passed  there  no  such  affair  as  a 


176  AZTEC  LAND. 

street  brawl  of  any  sort  was  seen,  though,  we  vis- 
ited all  parts  of  the  town,  and  at  all  hours  of  the 
day  and  night.  There  are  few  of  our  own  cities 
where  the  public  peace  is  so  thoroughly  pi-eserved, 
or  with  so  little  demonstration,  as  is  the  case  in  the 
capital  of  Mexico. 

Our  hotel,  the  Iturbide,  —  pronounced  Eater- 
beady,  —  situated  on  the  Calle  de  San  Francisco, 
and  called  after  the  emperor  of  the  same  name 
(Don  Agustin  de  Iturbide),  is  probably  the  best, 
as  it  is  the  largest  in  the  city  ;  but  this  is  faint 
praise.  Hotel-keeping  is  one  of  the  arts  which, 
at  its  best,  has  not  yet  been  introduced  into  this 
country.  Iturbide's  aspiration  led  him  to  assume 
the  imperial  crown,  in  consequence  of  which  he 
fell.  After  reigning  for  a  twelvemonth,  he  was 
banished  from  Mexico  on  parole  never  to  return. 
This  parole  he  broke,  landing  from  Europe  at  Vera 
Cruz  in  1824.  He  was  seized,  thrown  into  prison, 
and  was  shot  by  orders  of  the  government,  as  a 
traitor,  July  19  of  the  same  year.  The  old  flint 
muskets  used  for  the  purpose  hang  beside  the  mod- 
ern arms,  in  the  national  armory,  with  which  was 
performed  a  like  sentence  upon  Maximilian.  Thus 
the  two  men  wrho  essayed  the  role  of  emperor  of 
Mexico  ended  their  career.  The  Iturbide  is  spa- 
cious and  well  situated,  being  within  a  few  rods 
of  the  Plaza  Mayor,  and  having  once  served  as  the 
palace  of  the  emperor  whose  name  it  bears.  It  is 
entered,  like  the  Palace  Hotel  of  San  Francisco, 
and  the  Grand  Hotel  of  Paris,  by  an  archway  lead- 
ing into  a  spacious  area  or  court,  on  whose  four 
sides  rises  the  elaborate  structure.  Upon  this 


HOUSE  SERVANTS.  177 

patio  the  several  stories  open,  each  with  a  line  of 
balcony.  This  broad  area,  open  to  the  sky,  is 
paved  with  marble,  and  has  spacious  stairways  of 
the  same  material.  The  windows  are  of  the  French 
pattern  and  open  down  to  the  floor,  so  that  the 
occupant  of  each  room  steps  out  upon  the  balcony 
by  passing  through  them.  The  windows  are  the 
same  on  the  public  street  side.  The  house  is  fairly 
well  furnished  so  far  as  comfort  is  concerned,  and 
the  beds  —  well,  they  might  possibly  be  worse,  — 
domestic  comfort  is  not  the  strong  point  in  the 
Iturbide,  where  cleanliness  is  also  one  of  the  lost 
arts.  All  the  chambermaids  here,  as  in  .Japan,  are 
men,  and  very  good  servants  they  are,  according 
to  their  light  and  the  material  which  is  furnished 
to  them.  The  fact  that  three  fourths  of  them  bear 
the  name  of  Jesus  is,  it  must  be  admitted,  a  little 
confusing  when  it  is  desired  to  summon  any  par- 
ticular one.  In  the  selection  of  a  sleeping  apart- 
ment the  visitor  should  be  sure,  if  it  is  possible,  to 
obtain  one  facing  east  or  south,  thus  securing  an 
abundance  of  sunshine.  Rooms  situated  otherwise, 
in  this  climate  particularly,  are  liable  to  be  damp 
and  even  dangerous  to  health,  especially  in  a  city 
which  rests  upon  the  surface,  as  it  were,  of  a  hid- 
den lake.  Such  facts  may  seem  to  be  trifles  to  the 
casual  reader,  but  experience  will  soon  teach  him 
their  real  importance. 

The  broad,  three-story  front  of  the  Iturbide  Ho- 
tel is  quite  imposing,  and  exhibits  some  very  elabo- 
rate native  carving  in  stone.  We  were  told  that  it 
was  once  occupied  by  a  very  rich  and  eccentric 
mine  owner  for  the  accommodation  of  himself  and 


178  AZTEC  LAND. 

family,  embracing  half  a  dozen  wives  and  over 
sixty  children !  quite  after  the  style  of  a  Turkish 
harem  or  the  establishment  of  a  Utah  magnate.  A 
capacious  and  well-appointed  hotel  on  the  American 
plan  is  something  which  this  city  greatly  needs. 
It  would  be  welcomed  and  well-patronized  by  the 
native  citizens,  and  all  foreign  travelers  would 
gladly  seek  its  accommodations.  It  seems  that 
a  large  Mexican  hotel  designed  to  cost  some  two 
million  dollars  is  already  under  consideration  by 
an  incorporated  company  of  wealthy  natives ;  but 
this  will  not,  we  believe,  fill  the  requirements  of 
the  present  time.  The  Mexicans  do  not  know 
how  to  keep  a  hotel,  and  any  money  expended  in 
the  proposed  plan,  we  suspect,  will  be  next  to 
thrown  away.  Government  has  lent  its  aid  to  the 
purpose  of  establishing  a  new  hotel  on  a  grand 
scale,  by  passing  an  act  exempting  from  import 
duties  all  furniture  and  goods  intended  for  use  in 
the  house,  to  the  amount  of  fifteen  per  cent,  on  the 
entire  capital  invested  in  the  enterprise  of  building 
and  properly  equipping  the  establishment.  This 
exemption  from  custom-house  taxes  will  prove  a 
saving  of  considerably  over  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  to  the  hotel  company.  Now,  if  this  purpose 
is  consummated  and  the  owners  will  put  the  whole 
in  charge  of  an  experienced  American,  something 
satisfactory  may  come  from  it.  The  best  hotels  in 
the  world  are  kept  by  Americans,  —  this  not  in 
the  spirit  of  boasting,  —  and  next  to  them  in  this 
line  of  business  come  the  Swiss,  who  have  copied 
us  very  closely.  The  English  follow,  but  rank 
only  third  in  the  line  of  progress,  while  the  Mexi- 


AN  INNOVATION.  179 

cans  are  simply  nowhere.  The  Iturbicle  has  no 
ladies'  or  gentlemen's  parlor,  that  is  to  say,  it  has 
no  public  reception-room  worthy  of  the  name. 
The  conventionalities  here  do  not  absolutely  de- 
mand such  an  arrangement,  though  it  would  be 
appreciated  ;  nor  can  one  obtain  any  artificial  heat 
in  his  apartment,  however  much  it  may  be  re- 
quired. There  are  no  fireplaces  or  chimneys  in 
the  house,  while  the  other  domestic  accommoda- 
tions are  of  the  most  primitive  character.  As  to 
food,  the  Iturbide  is  kept  on  the  European  plan, 
and  one  can  order  according  to  his  fancy.  The 
service,  however,  is  anything  but  neat  or  clean. 
The  meal-hours  are  divided  as  in  France  and  con- 
tinental Europe  generally  :  coffee  and  bread  upon 
first  rising,  breakfast  at  noon,  and  dinner  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  proprietor  has  lately 
put  into  service  a  very  good  steam  elevator,  which 
was  at  first  deemed  to  be  a  serious  innovation. 
We  heard  of  some  rather  ludicrous  experiences 
which  occurred  during  the  first  few  days  of  its 
use  ;  but  the  people  were  very  soon  reconciled  to 
the  comfort  it  afforded,  and  put  aside  their  preju- 
dices. Even  this  elevator  is  so  restricted  in  its 
running  hours  as  not  to  afford  the  guests  the  ac- 
commodation it  should  supply.  As  some  one  has 
wittily  said  of  the  ballet-girl's  costume,  it  begins 
too  late  and  leaves  off  too  early. 

The  ice  used  in  the  city  of  Mexico  comes  from 
the  top  of  the  neighboring  range  of  mountains,  but 
it  is  rarely  seen  except  in  bar-rooms,  the  retail  price 
being  ten  cents  a  pound.  In  order  to  obtain  a 
cool  temperature  for  their  drinking  water,  the 


180  AZTEC  LAND. 

people  keep  it  in  porous  earthern  jars  made  by 
the  native  Indians.  Rapid  evaporation  from  the 
outside  of  the  vessels  renders  the  water  highly  re- 
freshing, indeed,  cool  enough,  the  dry  atmosphere 
is  so  very  active  an  absorbent.  The  ice  is  brought 
to  the  nearest  railway  station  wrapped  in  straw, 
on  the  backs  of  the  peons,  and  is  thus  transported 
daily,  no  large  quantity  being  kept  on  hand. 

Opening  from  the  main  patio  of  the  Iturbide 
Hotel  upon  the  level  of  the  street  is  a  large  bil- 
liard-saloon and  bar-room  combined.  As  our  bed- 
room was  on  the  first  chamber  floor,  and  opened 
upon  this  patio,  with  a  little  balcony  and  a  long 
French  window,  we  had  the  benefit  nightly,  as 
well  as  daily,  of  all  the  ceaseless  noises  which 
usually  emanate  from  such  a  place.  Billiard  balls 
kept  up  their  peculiar  music  until  the  wee  small 
hours  of  the  morning,  and  all  day  on  the  Sab- 
bath. The  Mexicans,  like  the  Cubans,  do  not 
drink  deep,  but  they  drink  often ;  and  though  it 
is  seldom  that  a  respectably  dressed  person  is  seen 
intoxicated,  either  on  the  streets  or  elsewhere, 
still  the  active  bartenders  of  the  Iturbide  drink- 
ing-saloon  did  not  quit  their  posts  until  nearly 
broad  daylight  in  the  morning.  So  our  sleep 
in  that  palace  hotel  was  achieved  to  the  accom- 
paniment of  clinking  billiard-balls,  the  clatter  of 
drinking-glasses,  the  shaking  up  of  iced  mixtures, 
and  the  sharp  voices  of  disputants  at  the  card- 
tables.  However,  a  thoroughly  tired  person  can 
sleep  under  almost  any  circumstances  ;  and  after 
many  hours  each  day  devoted  to  sight-seeing,  the 
writer  did  not  spend  much  time  in  moralizing 


PUBLIC  AMUSEMENTS.  181 

over  the  doings  in  the  spacious  apartment  beneath 
him. 

Regarding  places  of  public  entertainment,  the 
city  contains  several  theatres  and  a  permanent 
circus,  but  only  one  of  the  theatres  seemed  to  be 
patronized  by  the  best  people ;  namely,  the  Teatro 
Nacional,  built  so  late  as  1844,  and  having  seat- 
ing capacity  for  three  thousand  persons.  The  com- 
mencement exercises  of  the  military  school  of  Cha- 
pultepec  are  given  annually  in  this  house.  Here, 
at  least  one  good  opera  company  is  engaged  for 
a  brief  season  annually  ;  indeed,  there  is  some  kind 
of  opera,  French,  Spanish,  or  Italian,  nearly  all 
the  year  round.  Smoking  of  cigarettes  between 
the  acts  is  freely  indulged  in  by  the  audience  ;  and 
though  the  ladies  do  not  smoke  in  public,  at  least 
not  generally,  they  are  known  to  be  free  users 
of  the  weed  at  home.  Three  other  theatres,  the 
Coliseo  Viejo,  the  Arbeu,  and  the  Hidalgo,  are 
respectably  good ;  there  are  three  or  four  others, 
minor  establishments,  all  open  on  Sundays,  but 
they  are  to  be  avoided. 

There  is  a  spacious  bull-ring  at  the  northern  end 
of  the  paseo,  on  the  left  of  the  roadway  as  we 
drive  towards  Chapultepec,  where  exhibitions  are 
given  to  crowded  assemblies  every  Sunday  and  on 
festal  days.  Of  all  the  public  sports  the  bull-fight 
is  the  most  cruel,  being  without  one  redeeming  fea- 
ture to  excuse  its  indulgence,  while  its  evil  moral 
effect  upon  the  people  at  large  is  clearly  manifest. 
There  is  certainly  a  close  affinity  between  the 
Spanish  language  and  the  Latin,  as  well  as  a 
strong  resemblance  between  the  old  Roman  masses 


182  AZTEC  LAND. 

and  the  modern  Spanish  people.  In  the  olden 
days  the  Roman  populace  cried,  Panem  et  eir- 
censes  (bread  and  circuses)  ;  so  to-day  the  Span- 
ish people  shout,  Pan  y  toros  (bread  and  bulls). 
The  bull-fight  is  a  national  institution  here,  as 
it  is  in  continental  Spain  and  in  Cuba,  and  is 
strongly  indicative  of  the  character  of  the  people. 
While  we  were  in  the  country  a  bull-fight  per- 
formance was  given  on  a  Sunday  in  one  of  the 
large  cities,  as  a  "  benefit "  towards  paying  for  a 
new  altar-rail  to  be  placed  in  one  of  the  Romish 
churches.  Only  among  a  semi-barbarous  people 
and  in  a  Roman  Catholic  country  would  such 
horrible  cruelty  be  tolerated,  and  especially  as  a 
Sabbath  performance.  This  is  the  day  when  these 
shameful  exhibitions  always  take  place,  at  Madrid 
as  well  as  in  Mexico,  it  being  also  the  most  popu- 
lar and  fashionable  evening  of  the  week  for  theat- 
rical entertainments. 

Some  of  our  party  attended  one  of  these  ex- 
hibitions in  the  city  of  Mexico ;  but  they  very 
promptly  and  emphatically  declared  that  nothing 
could  induce  them  again  to  witness  anything  of 
the  sort,  pronouncing  it  to  be  only  a  repulsive 
butchery.  The  author  had  seen  both  in  Spain  and 
in  Cuba  quite  as  much  as  he  desired  of  this 
wretched  national  game,  and  therefore  he  did  not 
visit  it  on  the  occasion  referred  to  above.  A  dis- 
tinguished citizen  of  the  national  capital,  General 

H ,  told  us  that  the  better  class  of  ladies  did 

not  now  attend  the  bull-fights  in  Mexico,  though 
there  are  plenty  of  women  who  do  so  regularly. 
"  I  have  four  grown-up  daughters,  one  of  whom  is 


THE  BULL-FIGHT.  183 

married,"  said  he,  "  but  neither  they  nor  their 
mother  ever  witnessed  this  debasing  exhibition. 
Be  assured,"  he  continued,  "  that  the  cultured  class 
of  our  community  do  not  sympathize  with  these 
relics  of  barbarism."  This  is  a  sentiment  which 
we  are  gratified  to  record,  more  especially  as  at 
Madrid,  the  headquarters  of  the  cruel  game,  it  has 
not  only  the  full  sanction  of  the  public  officials  and 
of  the  elite  of  the  Spanish  capital,  but  the  patron- 
age of  royalty  itself.  The  central  box  of  the  bull- 
ring in  that  city  is  reserved  for  the  court,  and 
there  are  no  empty  seats  during  the  performance. 
A  law  was  passed  a  few  years  since  forbidding 
bull-fights  to  take  place  in  the  Federal  District  of 
Mexico ;  but  this  law  has  been  repealed  in  accord- 
ance with  the  clamorous  demand  of  a  large  ma- 
jority of  the  people  ;  besides  which  the  law  was 
virtually  inoperative,  as  these  exhibitions  were 
held  all  the  same,  only  they  were  removed  to  a  few 
rods  beyond  the  boundary  of  the  prohibited  ter- 
ritory. The  thought  conies  over  us  that,  after  all, 
the  bull-fight  is  but  one  degree  worse  than  the 
shameful  prize-fights  of  professional  bruisers  in 
England  and  America. 

One  of  the  most  admirable  and  practical  chari- 
ties established  in  the  Mexican  capital  is  known  as 
the  Monte  de  Piedad,  which  is  simply  a  national 
pawn-shop.  The  title  signifies,  "  The  Mountain 
of  Mercy."  It  was  originally  founded  more  than 
a  century  since  by  Count  Regla,  the  owner  of  the 
famous  silver  mine  of  Real  del  Monte,  who  gave 
the  sum  of  three  hundred  thousand  dollars  for 
the  purpose,  in  order  that  the  poor  and  needy  of 


184  AZTEC  LAND. 

the  population  of  this  city  might  obtain  advances 
of  money  on  personal  property  at  a  low  and  rea- 
sonable rate  of  interest.  Any  article  deposited  for 
this  purpose  is  valued  by  two  disinterested  per- 
sons, and  about  three  fourths  of  its  intrinsic  worth 
is  promptly  advanced.  If  the  owner  ceases  to  pay 
the  interest  on  the  loan,  the  article  in  pawn  is  kept 
six  months  longer,  when  it  is  exposed  for  sale  at  a 
marked  price.  After  six  months  more  have  ex- 
pired, if  the  article  is  not  disposed  of,  it  is  sold  at 
public  auction,  and  all  that  is  realized  above  the 
sum  which  was  advanced,  together  with  the  in- 
terest, is  placed  to  the  original  owner's  credit. 
This  sum,  if  not  called  for  within  a  given  time,  re- 
verts to  the  bank.  The  capital  of  the  institution 
has  more  than  doubled  since  its  organization,  but 
the  amount  of  good  which  it  has  been  the  means 
of  accomplishing  cannot  be  estimated.  Its  first 
effect  was  to  break  up  all  the  private  pawn- 
brokers' establishments  which  charged  usurious 
interest  for  money,  its  own  rates  being  placed  at 
a  low  figure,  intended  barely  to  meet  necessary 
expenses.  These  exceedingly  low  rates  have  al- 
ways been  scrupulously  maintained.  The  average 
annual  loans  on  pledges  amount  to  a  million  dol- 
lars, distributed  among  about  fifty  thousand  appli- 
cants. The  establishment  is  also  a  sort  of  safe 
deposit.  All  the  goods  in  its  vaults  have  not  been 
pawned.  As  the  place  is  a  sort  of  fortress  in  its 
way,  many  valuables  are  here  stored  for  safe-keep- 
ing. One  dollar  is  the  smallest  sum  that  is  loaned, 
and  ten  thousand  dollars  is  the  largest.  The  loans 
will  average  from  two  to  three  hundred  %  daily. 


A  UNIQUE  BOOK.  185 

It  appears  that  one  third  of  the  merchandise  de- 
posited is  never  redeemed.  Among  other  articles 
of  this  class  is  the  diamond  snuff-box  which  was 
presented  to  Santa  Anna  when  he  was  Dicta- 
tor, and  which  cost  twenty-five  thousand  dollars. 
Tourists  often  call  in  at  the  Monte  de  Piedad, 
looking  for  bargains  in  bricabrac,  and  sometimes 
real  prizes  are  secured  at  very  reasonable  cost. 
A  gentleman  showed  the  writer  an  old,  illuminated 
book,  of  a  religious  character,  entirely  illustrated 
by  the  hand  of  some  patriot  recluse,  which  was 
marked  five  dollars,  and  upon  which  probably  four 
dollars  had  been  loaned  to  the  party  who  deposited 
it.  The  time  for  its  redemption  had  long  since 
expired,  and  our  friend  gladly  paid  the  sum  asked 
for  it.  He  said  he  should  take  it  to  the  Astor 
Library,  New  York,  where  he  felt  confident  of 
receiving  his  own  price  for  it,  namely,  one  hun- 
dred dollars :  "  Then,"  said  he,  "  I  will  give  the 
money  to  some  worthy  charity  in  my  native  city." 
The  volume  had  undoubtedly  been  stolen,  and 
pawned  by  the  thief.  Possession  is  considered  to 
be  bona  fide  evidence  of  ownership,  and  unless 
circumstances  are  very  suspicious,  money  is  nearly 
always  advanced  to  the  applicant  on  his  or  her 
deposit. 

Speaking  of  old  books,  there  are  three  or  four 
second-hand  bookstalls  and  stores  under  the  arcades 
running  along  one  side  of  the  plaza,  where  rare,  and 
ancient  tomes  are  sold.  Volumes,  of  the  value  of 
which  the  venders  seem  to  have  no  idea,  are  gladly 
parted  with  for  trifling  sums.  Civil  wars  and  the 
changes  of  government  have  never  interfered  with 


186  AZTEC  LAND. 

the  operations  of  the  Monte  de  Piedad.  All  par- 
ties have  respected  it  and  its  belongings,  with  one 
exception  —  during  the  presidency  of  Gonzales  in 
1884,  when  its  capital  was  somewhat  impaired  and 
its  usefulness  circumscribed  by  a  levy  of  the  gov- 
ernment in  its  desperation  to  sustain  the  national 
credit  in  connection  with  its  foreign  loans.  A 
curious  collection  of  personal  property  is  of  course 
to  be  seen  here,  including  domestic  furniture, 
diamonds,  rubies,  and  other  precious  stones,  swords, 
pistols,  guns,  saddles,  canes,  watches,  clothing, 
and  so  on.  The  large  building  used  for  the  pur- 
pose of  carrying  on  the  business  stands  upon  the 
site  once  occupied  by  the  private  palace  which 
formed  the  home  of  Cortez  for  so  many  years,  a 
short  distance  west  of  the  great  cathedral.  This 
institution  has  lately  been  sold  to  an  English  syn- 
dicate for  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars.  The 
new  owners  have  a  cash  capital  of  twenty-five  mil- 
lions, and  will  resume  the  banking  department, 
which  was  suspended  in  1884,  and  carry  on  the 
pawnbroking  business  as  heretofore. 

The  alameda,  a  name  usually  applied  to  large 
Spanish  parks,  is  a  parallelogram  of  about  thirty 
or  forty  acres  in  extent,  situated  between  the  two 
streets  of  San  Francisco  and  San  Cosme,  abound- 
ing in  eucalyptus  trees,  poplars,  evergreens,  orange 
and  lemon  trees,  together  with  blooming  flowers 
and  refreshing  fountains.  In  olden  times  this 
alameda  —  this  forest-garden  in  the  heart  of  the 
city  —  was  inclosed  by  a  wall  pierced  with  several 
gates,  which  were  only  opened  to  certain  classes 
and  on  certain  occasions ;  but  these  grounds, 


THE  ALAMEDA.  187 

greatly  enlarged  and  beautified,  are  now  open  on 
all  sides  to  the  public,  easily  accessible  from  the 
surrounding  thoroughfares.  We  were  told  that 
the  name  comes  from  the  fact  that  the  park  was 
originally  planted  with  alamos,  or  poplars.  One 
cannot  forget,  while  standing  upon  the  spot  and 
recalling  the  early  days  of  the  Spanish  rule,  that 
it  was  on  a  portion  of  these  grounds  that  the 
hateful  Inquisition  burned  its  victims,  because 
they  would  not  subscribe  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
faith.  According  to  their  own  records,  forty-eight 
unbelievers  were  here  burned  at  the  stake  at  one 
time.  We  do  not  think  that  the  Aztec  idolaters 
ever  exceeded  in  wickedness  or  cruelty  this  fiend- 
ish act. 

The  alameda  has  a  number  of  open  circles  with 
fountains  in  the  centre,  about  which  stone  benches 
are  placed  as  seats.  These  spaces  are  much  fre- 
quented by  children  as  playgrounds.  An  interest- 
ing aviary  ornaments  one  of  the  roomy  areas,  filled 
with  a  variety  of  native  and  exotic  birds,  which  at- 
tract crowds  of  curious  observers.  The  inexhaust- 
ible spring  at  Chapultepec  supplies  these  fountains, 
besides  many  others  in  various  parts  of  the  city, 
from  whence  water-carriers  distribute  the  article 
for  domestic  use.  The  alameda  is  the  largest  pub- 
lic garden  in  the  capital,  of  which  there  are  twelve 
in  all,  and  is  the  daily  resort  of  the  corpulent 
priest  for  exercise;  of  the  ambitious  student  for 
thought  and  study ;  of  the  nursery  maid  with  her 
youthful  charge ;  and  of  wooing  lovers  and  coquet- 
tish sefioritas,  accompanied  by  their  staid  chape- 
rones.  On  Sunday  forenoons  a  military  band  gives 


188  AZTEC  LAND. 

an  ont-of-door  concert  in  the  central  music  stand, 
on  which  occasion  all  grades  of  the  populace  come 
hither,  rich  and  poor  alike,  the  half-fed  peon  in 
his  nakedness  and  the  well-clad  citizen.  All  classes 
have  a  passion  for  music.  The  cathedral  empties 
itself,  as  it  were,  into  the  alameda  just  after  morn- 
ing mass.  This,  be  it  remembered,  is  the  forenoon. 
The  closing  hours  of  the  day  are  devoted  to  driving 
and  promenading  in  the  adjoining  Paseo  de  la  Re- 
fornla.  On  the  evenings  of  festal  days,  the  central 
pavilion,  where  the  band  is  placed,  as  well  as  other 
parts  of  the  alameda,  are  illuminated  with  Chi- 
nese lanterns  and  electric  lights  disposed  among 
the  trees  and  about  the  fountains,  so  that  the  arti- 
ficial lamps  rival  the  light  of  day.  On  these  gala 
occasions  two  or  three  additional  bands  of  musi- 
cians are  placed  at  differents  points  to  assist  in 
the  entertainment.  The  fountains  play  streams  of 
liquid  silver ;  the  military  bands  discourse  stirring 
music ;  the  people,  full  of  merriment,  indulge  .in 
dulces,  fruits,  ice-cream,  and  confectionery,  crowd- 
ing every  available  space  in  the  fairy-like  grounds, 
and  Mexico  is  happy. 

There  is  no  noisy  demonstration  on  these  occa- 
sions. The  multitude,  we  must  frankly  acknow- 
ledge, are  better  behaved  than  any  such  assemblage 
usually  is  in  Boston  or  New  York.  All  seem  to  be 
quiet,  contented,  and  enjoying  themselves  placidly. 
It  should  be  mentioned,  in  this  connection,  that 
all  pulque  shops  in  the  capital  are  promptly  closed 
at  six  o'clock  P.  M.  throughout  the  year.  This  is 
imperative  and  without  exception  ;  consequently, 
no  evening  disturbance  is  to  be  anticipated  from 


INTERESTING  SPOT.  189 

that  source.  It  was  found  that  there  are  over  two 
thousand  jmlqucrias  in  the  capital.  The  effect  of 
this  special  stimulant,  however,  is  not  to  make 
those  who  indulge  freely  in  it  pugnacious  or  noisy. 
It  acts  more  like  a  powerful  narcotic,  and  puts 
those  who  are  overcome  with  it  to  sleep,  having,  in 
fact,  many  of  the  properties  of  opium.  The  gilded 
bar-rooms  where  the  upper  classes  seek  refresh- 
ment, who,  by  the  way,  seem  rarely  to  abuse  the 
privilege,  are  permitted  to  remain  open  until  mid- 
night, but  into  them  the  common  people  have  not 
the  wherewithal  to  procure  entrance.  A  tumbler 
of  pulque  which  costs  them  a  penny  they  indulge 
in,  but  drinks  at  fifteen  or  twenty  cents  each,  and 
in  small  portions  at  that,  are  quite  beyond  their 
means.  A  somewhat  peculiar  effect  of  pulque 
drinking  was  also  mentioned  to  us.  The  people 
who  partake  of  it  freely  have  an  aversion  to  other 
stimulants,  and  prefer  it  to  any  and  all  others 
without  regard  to  cost.  The  beer-drinking  Ger- 
man is  often  similarly  affected  as  regards  his  spe- 
cial tipple.  Chemical  test  shows  pulque  to  contain 
just  about  the  same  percentage  of  alcohol  as  com- 
mon beer ;  say,  five  or  six  per  cent. 

Besides  witnessing  the  foul  deeds  of  the  Inqui- 
sition when  the  priesthood  publicly  burned  and 
otherwise  tortured  unbelievers,  the  alameda  has 
frequently  been  the  scene  of  fierce  struggles,  gor- 
geous church  spectacles,  and  many  revolutionary 
parades.  Here  scores  of  treasonable  acts  have 
been  concocted,  and  daring  robberies  committed 
in  the  troublous  times  not  long  past.  To-day  it  is 
peaceable  enough  ;  so  quiet  in  the  summer  after- 


190  AZTEC  LAND. 

noons,  here  in  the  very  heart  of  the  busy  city,  that 
the  drone  of  the  busy  humming-birds  among  the 
flowers  comes  soothingly  upon  the  ear  of  the  wake- 
ful dreamer.  Quiet  now,  but  awaiting  the  next 
upheaval,  for  such,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  is  pretty 
sure  to  come,  sooner  or  later ;  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  party  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth.  A  strong, 
costly,  and  united  effort  on  its  part,  stimulated 
from  Rome,  to  once  more  gain  control  of  the  gov- 
ernment of  Mexico,  has  been  successfully  defeated 
without  an  open  outbreak  since  the  second  term  of 
President  Diaz  commenced.  The  success  of  the 
church  party  would  simply  throw  Mexico  back 
half  a  century  in  her  march  of  improvement  to- 
wards a  higher  state  of  civilization.  It  would 
check  all  educational  progress,  all  commercial  ad- 
vance, and  smother  both  political  and  religious 
freedom. 

The  number  of  infant  children,  strapped  or  tied 
to  their  mothers'  backs,  that  one  sees  in  the  streets 
of  the  capital,  and  indeed  all  through  the  country, 
is  something  marvelous.  The  fecundity  of  the 
peons  is  beyond  all  calculation.  Eight  women  out 
of  ten,  belonging  to  the  humbler  classes,  are  sure 
to  be  thus  encumbered.  Marriages  take  place  here 
at  as  early  an  age  as  in  Cuba  or  South  America, 
namely,  at  twelve  years.  Few  young  girls  among 
the  common  people  remain  unmarried  after  four- 
teen years  of  age,  or  rather  there  are  few  of  them 
that  do  not  bear  children  as  early  as  that.  Mar- 
riage among  the  poor  is  a  ceremony  not  always 
considered  necessary,  and,  indeed,  as  a  rule,  they 
are  too  poor  to  pay  the  priest  the  price  he  charges 


INFANTS.  191 

for  performing  the  ceremony.  Speaking  of  mar- 
riage, this  relationship  among  people  of  position 
and  property  is  assumed  under  somewhat  peculiar 
circumstances  in  Mexico.  First,  a  civil  marriage 
takes  place,  which  makes  all  children  born  to  the 
contracting  parties  legitimate.  After  this  civil 
rite  is  duly  complied  with,  perhaps  a  day  and  per- 
haps ten  intervening,  the  usual  church  ceremony 
is  performed,  and  then  the  bride  and  bridegroom 
join  each  other  to  enjoy  their  honeymoon,  but  un- 
til the  latter  ceremony  is  consummated,  the  couple 
are  as  much  separated  as  at  any  time  of  their  lives. 
Why  this  delay  in  consummation  takes  place  is  by 
no  means  clear  to  an  outsider. 

One  not  infrequently  sees  a  mother  carrying  two 
infants  at  a  time  wrapped  in  her  rebosa,  and  tied 
across  her  chest ;  only  ten  months  of  age  separat- 
ing the  little  creatures.  Besides  these  infants  the 
mother  carries  her  burden  of  vegetables,  fruit,  bas- 
kets, or  pottery,  to  dispose  of  in  the  market  near 
the  plaza.  Like  Japanese  and  Chinese  babies, 
these  little  ones  seldom,  if  ever,  cry,  but  submit 
patiently  and  with  apparent  indifference  to  what 
seems  to  be  a  very  trying  position,  as  well  as  to  al- 
most total  neglect.  These  children  were  never  in 
a  bed  since  they  were  born.  They  probably  sleep 
at  night  upon  a  straw  mat  spread  upon  the  earthen 
floor,  and  we  much  doubt  if  they  are  ever  washed. 
Sometimes  the  father  is  seen  carrying  the  baby, 
but  this  is  very  rare ;  the  women  take  the  labor- 
ing oar  almost  always  here,  as  among  our  Indian 
tribes,  the  people  of  the  East,  and  the  South  Sea 
Islanders.  This  is  a  characteristic  applicable  not 


192  AZTEC  LAND. 

alone  to  the  national  capital,  but  observable  again 
and  again  all  over  the  republic.  Though  so  very 
poor,  and  doubtless  often  suffering  from  hunger, 
the  half  naked  people  are  not  infrequently  seen 
with  a  cigarette  between  the  lips.  Drunkenness 
is  seldom  seen,  notwithstanding  that  pulque  is 
cheap  and  potent,  and  it  is  very  rarely  the  case, 
as  already  intimated,  that  any  quarreling  is  wit- 
nessed among  the  people.  They  are  quiet  and 
orderly,  as  a  rule,  yet  most  of  them  are  homeless 
and  hopeless. 

Though  begging  is  chronic  with  the  Spanish 
race  everywhere,  and  notoriously  prevalent  in  con- 
tinental Spain,  persistent  in  Havana  and  Matan- 
zas,  and  nearly  universal  throughout  the  Mexican 
republic,  still,  in  the  national  capital  it  is  far  less 
obtrusive  than  elsewhere,  because  the  police  are 
instructed  to  suppress  it.  So,  also,  begging  is 
prohibited  by  law  in  Paris,  London,  and  Boston, 
but  how  constantly  the  law  is  disregarded  we  all 
know.  Sad  is  the  condition  of  things  which,  as 
Thackeray  expresses  it,  gives  the  purple  and  fine 
linen  to  one  set  of  men,  and  to  the  other  rags  for 
garments  and  dogs  for  comforters. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  see  a  family  group, 
mother,  father,  and  one  or  two  children,  huddled 
close  together  in  a  street  corner,  where  they  have 
passed  the  night,  sleeping  in  a  half  upright  posi- 
tion, while  leaning  against  an  adobe  wall.  In  an 
early  morning  walk  towards  the  Paseo  de  la  Viga, 
we  saw  just  such  a  scene,  with  the  addition  of  a 
mongrel  dog,  which  had  so  bestowed  himself  as  to 
give  the  shelter  of  his  body  as  well  as  its  natural 


OUT  DOOR  LIFE.  193 

warmth  to  a  couple  of  small  children.  One  thing 
the  reader  may  be  assured  of,  to  wit :  the  whole 
family,  including  the  dog,  had  a  hearty  and  nour- 
ishing breakfast  that  morning  at  least. 


CHAPTER   X. 

Benito  Juarez's  Grandest  Monument  —  Hotel  del  Jardin.  —  Gen- 
eral Jose1  Morelos.  —  Mexican  Ex-Convents.  —  City  Restau- 
rants. —  Lady  Smokers.  —  Domestic  Courtyards.  —  A  Beau- 
tiful Bird.  —  The  Grand  Cathedral  Interior.  —  A  Devout 
Lottery  Ticket  Vender. — Porcelain-Ornamented  Houses. — 
Rogues  in  Church.  —  Expensive  Justice.  —  Cemetery  of  San 
Fernando.  — Juarez's  Monument.  —  Coffins  to  Let.  —  Ameri- 
can and  English  Cemetery.  —  A  Doleful  Street  and  Trade. 

THERE  exists  a  much  grander  monument  to  the 
memory  of  Benito  Juarez  than  the  fine  mai-ble 
group  over  his  last  resting-place  in  the  cemetery  of 
San  Fernando,  namely,  the  noble  School  of  Arts 
and  Trades  founded  by  him.  Poor  native  girls  are 
here  afforded  excellent  advantages  for  acquiring 
a  knowledge  of  various  arts,  while  they  are  both 
clothed  and  fed  free  of  cost  to  themselves.  The 
pupils  are  taught  type-setting,  book-binding,  draw- 
ing, music,  embroidery,  and  the  like.  There  is  a 
store  attached  to  the  institution  in  which  the  arti- 
cles produced  by  the  inmates  are  placed  for  sale  at 
a  moderate  price.  We  were  told  that  their  indus- 
try went  a  long  way  towards  rendering  the  institu- 
tion self-supporting,  and  so  admirably  is  the  work 
of  embroidery  executed  here  that  the  orders  for 
goods  are  in  advance  of  the  supply.  Nearly  four 
hundred  girls  are  at  all  times  reaping  the  advan- 
tage of  this  school,  which  is  a  grand  and  practical 


THE  INQUISITION.  195 

form  of  charity  worthy  of  emulation.  Individual 
instances  of  notable  success  crowning  the  career  of 
graduates  from  this  institution  were  related  to  us, 
some  of  which  were  of  touching  interest,  and  many 
quite  romantic,  showing  that  genius  knows  no  sex, 
and  that  opportunity  alone  is  often  all  that  is 
required  to  develop  possibilities  frequently  lying 
dormant  about  us. 

The  College  of  Medicine,  near  the  Plazuela  of 
San  Domingo,  occupies  the  old  palace  of  the  In- 
quisition, whose  last  victim  in  Mexico,  General 
Jose  Morelos,  was  executed  in  December,  1815. 
For  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  since  1571,  this 
institution  of  the  church  fattened  upon  the  blood 
of  martyrs.  We  do  not  wonder  at  the  futile 
efforts  of  the  Romish  church  of  the  nineteenth 
century  to  ignore,  deny,  and  cover  up  these  iniqui- 
ties ;  but  their  awful  significance  is  burned  too 
deeply  into  the  pages  of  history  to  be  obliterated. 

While  engaged  upon  a  voyage  of  discovery 
accompanied  by  a  friend  who  has  long  resided  in 
the  city  of  Mexico,  we  chanced  upon  the  Hotel 
del  Jardin,  a  cheerful,  sunny  hostelry,  occupying 
a  building  which  was  once  a  famous  convent,  lead- 
ing our  companion  to  remark  that  "  the  shameful 
record  of  wickedness,  licentiousness,  and  cruelty, 
practiced  in  these  Mexican  institutions  before  their 
suppression,  could  it  be  made  public,  would  aston- 
ish the  world."  The  present  Plotel  del  Jardin 
nearly  surrounds  a  garden  full  of  tropical  verdure, 
and  seemed  very  inviting.  Determining  to  test  its 
cuisine,  dinner  was  ordered,  the  presiding  genius 
being  given  carte  hJanchc  to  do  his  best ;  but, 


196  AZTEC  LAND. 

heaven  save  the  mark !  —  all  we  have  to  add  is, 
don't  try  the  experiment  of  dining  at  the  place  re- 
ferred to.  The  best  and  most  usual  way  for  tran- 
sient visitors  to  this  city  is  to  take  rooms  in  com- 
fortable quarters,  and  to  eat  their  meals  at  some 
of  the  fairly  good  restaurants  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  plaza.  Of  course,  one  cannot  expect  New 
York  or  Boston  fare,  nor  do  we  come  to  Mexico 
for  what  we  can  obtain  in  the  way  of  food  and 
drink. 

Among  the  groups  observed  sitting  on  the  little 
balconies  of  the  dwelling-houses,  matrons  are  seen 
smoking  their  cigarettes  as  openly  as  do  their  hus- 
bands. Senoritas  do  the  same  on  the  sly.  No 
place  is  exempt  from  the  pungent  fumes  of  to- 
bacco. Pipes  seem  to  be  very  seldom  resorted  to, 
and  the  chewing  of  tobacco,  we  are  glad  to  say,  is 
not  indulged  in  at  all,  —  a  disgusting  use  of  the 
weed  almost  solely  confined  to  North  America  and 
ships'  forecastles.  Smoking,  after  all,  did  not 
seem  to  be  so  universal  and  incessant  as  we  have 
seen  it  in  some  other  countries.  Perhaps  this 
arises,  in  a  measure,  from  want  of  means  to  pay 
for  the  article  among  the  general  population,  since 
they  are  only  half  clothed  in  wretched  rags,  be- 
ing mostly  bareheaded  and  barefooted  also.  The 
lower  class  of  Mexico  could  give  the  lazzaroni  of 
Naples  "  points,"  and  then  outdo  them  vastly  in 
squalor  and  nakedness.  The  idle,  indolent,  and 
thriftless  outnumber  all  other  classes  in  the  repub- 
lic, one  reason  for  which  is  found  in  the  fact  com- 
mon to  all  tropical  countries,  that  the  climate  is 
such  that  the  poor  can  safely  sleep  out  of  doors  and 


CHANGE  OF  COSTUME.  197 

without  shelter,  with  nearly  as  much  comfort  as 
those  who  have  an  humble  covering  in  the  shape 
of  four  adobe  walls  and  a  thatched  roof.  As  a 
rule,  these  common  people,  men  and  women,  are 
ugly  in  form  and  feature,  except  that  they  have 
superb  black  eyes  and  pearl-white  teeth.  Physical 
hardships  do  not  tend  to  develop  comeliness. 

Strong  contrasts  meet  the  eye,  —  naturally  to  be 
expected  in  a  community  which  is  slowly  becoming 
revolutionized  from  a  state  of  semi-barbarism,  as  it 
were,  to  the  broader  civilization  of  its  neighbors. 
This  transition  is  very  obvious  as  regards  the  dress 
of  the  populace.  Silk  stove-pipe  hats  and  Derbys 
are  crowding  hard  upon  the  cumbersome  sombrero ; 
the  dainty  Parisian  bonnet  is  replacing  the  black 
lace  mantilla  ;  broadcloth  is  found  to  be  more  ac- 
ceptable clothing  than  leather  jackets  and  panta- 
loons ;  close-fitting  calico  and  merino  goods  are 
driving  out  the  rebosas,  while  woolen  garments 
render  the  scrapes  needless.  This,  of  course,  is  a 
city  view.  Small  country  communities  still  adhere 
to  the  simpler  and  cheaper  national  costume  of  the 
past,  and  will  probably  continue  to  do  so  for  years 
to  come. 

In  strolling  about  the  better  part  of  the  city,  one 
sees  through  the  broad,  arched  entrances  to  the 
courtyards  of  the  finest  private  residences  in  Mex- 
ico, upon  the  first  or  street  floor,  the  stable,  the 
kitchen,  and  the  coach  house,  with  hostlers  groom- 
ing the  animals,  or  washing  the  harnesses  and  ve- 
hicles, while  the  family  live  directly  over  all  these 
arrangements,  up  one  flight  of  broad  stone  steps. 
This  is  a  Spanish  custom,  which  is  observable  in 


198  AZTEC  LAND. 

Havana  and  continental  Spain,  as  well  as  in  all  the 
cities  of  Mexico.  Other  patios,  whose  occupants 
do  not  keep  private  vehicles,  adorn  these  areas 
with  charming  plants,  small  tropical  trees,  bloom- 
ing flowers,  statuary,  and  fountains.  Here  and 
there  hang  cages  containing  bright-colored  singing 
birds,  parrots,  and  paroquets,  not  forgetting  to 
mention  the  clear,  shrill-voiced  mocking-bird, 
which  is  a  universal  favorite.  The  Mexican  ma- 
caw is  pretty  sure  to  be  represented  by  a  fine  mem- 
ber of  his  species  in  these  ornamental  patios.  He 
is  a  gaudy,  noisy  fellow.  The  head,  breast,  and 
back  are  of  a  deep  red,  the  wings  yellow,  blue,  and 
green.  The  tail  is  composed  of  a  dozen  feathers, 
six  of  which  are  stout,  short,  and  tapering,  while 
the  rest  are  fourteen  inches  in  length.  He  passes 
his  time  in  screaming,  and  scrambling  about  with 
the  aid  of  his  claws  and  hooked  beak  combined, 
going  as  far  as  the  tiny  chain  which  is  attached  to 
one  foot  and  fastened  to  the  perch  will  permit. 
His  favorite  attitude  seems  to  be  hanging  head 
downward  from  his  perch  like  an  acrobat,  often 
remaining  thus  a  distressingly  long  time,  until  one 
would  fain  coax  him  into  a  normal  position  with 
some  favorite  tidbit  of  cake,  sugar,  or  fruit. 

Officials  and  merchants  often  combine  their 
dwellings  and  places  of  business,  so  that  here  and 
there  a  patio  will  exhibit  various  samples  of  mer- 
chandise, or  the  sign  of  a  government  official  over 
a  room  devoted  to  office  purposes.  How  people 
able  to  do  otherwise  are  willing  to  sleep,  eat,  and 
live  over  a  stable  certainly  seems,  to  us,  very 
strange.  At  night  these  patios  are  guarded  by 


THE  CATHEDRAL.  199 

closing  large  metal  -  studded  doors,  a  concierge 
always  sleeping  near  at  hand  either  to  admit  any 
of  the  family  or  to  resist  the  entrance  of  any  un- 
authorized persons,  very  much  after  the  practice 
which  is  common  in  France  and  the  cities  of 
Northern  Europe. 

We  used  the  expression  "  while  strolling  about 
the  better  part  of  the  city,"  etc. ;  but  let  us  not  con- 
vey a  wrong  impression  thereby,  for  there  are  no 
exclusively  aristocratic  streets  or  quarters  in  the 
city  of  Mexico.  The  houses  of  both  the  upper  and 
lower  classes  are  mingled,  scattered  here  and 
there,  often  adjoining  each  other.  Some  few  of 
the  better  class  of  houses,  like  the  domes  of  some 
of  the  churches,  are  faced  with  porcelain  tiles,  giv- 
ing the  effect  of  mosaic ;  but  this  has  a  tawdry 
appearance,  and  is  exceptional  in  the  national  cap- 
ital. At  Puebla  it  is  much  more  common,  that 
city  being  the  headquarters  of  tile-manufacturing. 

No  matter  how  many  times  one  may  visit  the 
grand  cathedral,  each  fresh  view  impresses  him 
with  some  new  feature  and  also  with  its  vastness. 
As  to  the  harmony  of  its  architectural  effect,  that 
element  does  not  enter  into  the  consideration,  for 
there  is  really  no  harmony  about  it.  Everything 
is  vague,  so  to  speak,  irregular,  and  a  certain  ap- 
pearance of  incompleteness  is  apparent.  There  is 
at  all  times  a  considerable  number  of  women,  and 
occasionally  members  of  the  other  sex,  to  be  seen 
bending  before  the  several  chapels ;  deformed 
mendicants  and  professional  beggars  mingle  with 
the  kneeling  crowd.  Rags  flutter  beside  the  most 
costly  laces  ;  youth  kneels  with  crabbed  old  age ; 


200  AZTEC  LAND. 

rich  and  poor  meet  upon  the  same  level  before  the 
sacred  altar.  Priests  by  the  half  dozen,  in  scar- 
let, blue,  gilt,  and  yellow  striped  robes  officiate 
hourly  before  tall  candles  which  flicker  dimly  in 
the  daylight,  while  boys  dressed  in  long  white 
gowns  swing  censers  of  burning  incense.  The 
gaudy  trappings  have  the  usual  theatrical  effect, 
and  no  doubt  serve,  together  with  the  deep  peals 
of  the  organ,  the  dim  light  of  the  interior,  the 
monotone  of  the  priest's  voice,  in  an  unknown 
tongue,  profoundly  to  impress  the  poor  and  igno- 
rant masses.  The  largest  number  of  devotees, 
nearly  all  of  whom,  as  intimated,  are  women,  were 
seen  kneeling  before  the  small  chapel  where  rest 
the  remains  of  Iturbide,  first  emperor  of  Mexico, 
whose  tomb  bears  the  simple  legend  :  "  The  Lib- 
erator." None  more  appropriate  could  have  been 
devised,  for  through  him  virtually  was  Mexican 
independence  won,  though  his  erratic  career  finally 
ended  so  tragically. 

Just  outside  of  the  main  entrance  of  the  cathe- 
dral, a  middle-aged  woman  was  seen  importuning 
the  passers,  and  especially  strangers,  to  purchase 
lottery  tickets,  her  voice  being  nearly  drowned  by 
the  loud  tongue  of  the  great  bell  in  the  western 
tower.  Presently  she  thrust  her  budget  of  tickets 
into  her  bosom  and  entered  the  cathedral,  where 
she  knelt  before  one  of  the  side  altars,  repeating 
incessantly  the  sign  of  the  cross  while  she  whis- 
pered a  formula  of  devotion.  A  moment  later  she 
was  to  be  seen  offering  her  lottery  tickets  on  the 
open  plaza,  no  doubt  believing  that  her  business 
success  in  their  sale  would  be  promoted  by  her 


.1    riCKPOCKET.  201 

attendance  before  the  altar.  How  groveling  must 
be  the  ignorance  which  can  be  thus  blinded ! 

It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  these  lot- 
teries are  operated,  to  a  considerable  extent,  by  the 
church,  and  form  one  of  its  never-failing  sources 
of  income,  proving  more  profitable  even  than  the 
sale  of  indulgences,  though  the  latter  is  all  profit, 
whereas  there  is  some  trifling  expense  attendant 
upon  getting  up  a  lottery  scheme.  A  few  prizes 
must  be  distributed  in  order  to  make  the  cheat 
more  plausible.  As  to  the  validity  of  indulgences, 
one  cannot  actually  test  that  matter  on  this  side  of 
Lethe. 

As  will  be  seen,  all  classes  of  rogues  are  repre- 
sented among  the  apparently  devout  worshipers. 
On  the  occasion  of  our  second  visit  to  the  cathe- 
dral, a  gentleman  who  had  his  pockets  picked  by 
an  expert  kneeling  devotee  hastened  for  a  police- 
man, and  soon  returning,  pointed  out  the  cul- 
prit, who  was  promptly  arrested  ;  but,  much  to  the 
disgust  of  the  complainant,  he  also  was  compelled 
to  go  with  the  officer  and  prisoner  to  the  police 
headquarters,  where  we  heard  that  he  recovered 
his  stolen  property,  though  it  cost  him  three  quar- 
ters of  a  day's  attendance  at  some  sort  of  police 
court,  and  about  half  the  amount  of  the  sum  which 
the  rogue  had  abstracted. 

All  observant  strangers  visit  the  cemetery  of 
San  Fernando,  which  adjoins  the  church  of  the 
same  name.  This  is  the  Mount  Auburn  or  Pere 
la  Chaise  of  Mexico,  in  a  very  humble  sense,  how- 
ever. Here  rest  the  ashes  of  those  most  illustrious 
in  the  history  of  the  country.  One  is  particularly 


202  AZTEC  LAND. 

interested  in  the  tomb  and  monument  of  the  great- 
est statesman  Mexico  has  known,  her  Indian  Presi- 
dent, Benito  Juarez,  pronounced  Hoo-arez.  The 
design  of  this  elaborate  tomb  is  a  little  confusing 
at  first,  but  the  general  effect  is  certainly  very  fine 
and  impressive.  The  group  consists  of  two  figures, 
life  size,  wrought  in  the  purest  of  white  marble, 
showing  the  late  president  lying  at  full  length  in 
his  shroud,  with  his  head  supported  by  a  mourning 
female  figure  representing  Mexico.  The  name  of 
the  sculptor  is  Manuel  Islas,  who  has  embodied 
great  nobility  and  touching  pathos  in  the  expres- 
sion of  the  combined  whole.  The  base  of  the 
monument,  as  we  stood  before  it,  was  half  hidden 
by  freshly  contributed  wreaths  of  flowers.  A 
small  Grecian  temple  surrounded  by  columns  in- 
closes this  commemorative  group,  to  which  the 
traveler  will  be  very  sure  to  pay  a  second  visit 
before  leaving  the  capital.  Many  of  the  monu- 
ments in  this  city  of  the  dead  are  of  the  beautiful 
native  onyx,  whicli  has  a  very  grand  effect  when 
cut  in  heavy  slabs.  The  grounds  are  circum- 
scribed in  extent  and  overcrowded.  No  name,  we 
believe,  is  held  in  higher  esteem  by  the  general 
public  than  that  of  Benito  Juarez,  who  died  July 
18, 1872,  after  being  elected  to  fill  the  presidential 
chair  for  a  third  term. 

Juarez  was  a  Zapotec  Indian,  a  hill  tribe  which 
had  never  been  fully  under  Spanish  control.  He 
was  thoroughly  educated,  and  followed  the  law  as 
a  profession.  Being  fully  alive  to  its  character,  he 
always  opposed  the  machinations  of  the  Catholic 
Church.  His  dream  and  ambition  was  to  estab- 


CEMETERIES.  203 

lish  a  Mexican  republic,  and  the  present  constitu- 
tion, which  bears  date  of  1857,  was  virtually  his 
gift  to  the  people.  He  has  been  very  properly 
called  the  prophet  and  architect  of  the  republic. 
In  the  cemetery  of  San  Fernando  were  also  seen 
the  tombs  of  Mejia  and  Miramon,  the  two  generals 
who,  together  with  Maximilian,  were  shot  at  Quere- 
taro.  Here  also  are  the  tombs  of  Guerrero,  Zara- 
goza,  Comonfort,  and  others  of  note  in  Mexican 
history.  The  cemetery  as  a  whole  is  very  poorly 
arranged  and  quite  unworthy  of  such  a  capital. 
The  bodies  of  most  persons  buried  here  are  placed 
in  coffins  which  are  deposited  in  the  walls,  and 
even  graves  are  built  upon  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  because  of  the  fact  that  at  a  few  feet  be- 
low one  comes  to  the  great  swamp  or  lake  which 
underlies  all  this  part  of  the  valley.  There  is  an- 
other Mexican  cemetery  worthy  of  mention,  which 
is  beautifully  laid  out  and  arranged.  It  is  that  of 
Dolores,  on  the  hillside  southwest  of  Tacubaya, 
just  beyond  Chapultepec.  In  the  American  ceme- 
tery are  buried  some  four  hundred  of  our  country- 
men, soldiers,  who  died  here  in  1847.  The  English 
and  American  cemeteries  lie  together.  The  poor 
people  of  the  city,  when  a  death  occurs  in  the 
family,  hire  a  coffin  of  the  dealers  for  the  purpose 
of  carrying  their  dead  to  the  burial-place,  after 
which  it  is  returned  to  the  owner,  to  be  again 
leased  for  a  similar  object  by  some  other  party. 
The  dead  bodies  of  this  class  are  buried  in  the 
open  earth,  a  trench  only  being  dug  in  the  ground. 
Suitable  wood  is  so  scarce  and  so  valuable  in  the 
capital  that  coffins  are  very  expensive.  Those 


204  AZTEC  LAND. 

designed  for  young  children  are  seen  exposed  for 
sale  decorated  in  the  most  fantastic  mannerT  One 
narrow  street  near  the  general  market  and  close  to 
the  plaza  is  almost  wholly  appropriated,  on  the 
street  floor,  to  coffin-makers'  shops.  We  counted 
eleven  of  these  doleful  establishments  within  as 
many  rods  of  each  other.  The  coffins  designed 
for  adults  are  universally  colored  jet  black ;  but 
those  for  children  are  elaborately  ornamented  with 
scroll  work  of  white  upon  a  black  ground.  One 
of  these  last  is  hung  up  as  a  sign  at  the  entrance 
of  each  shop  devoted  to  this  business.  When  a 
funeral  cortege  appears  on  the  street,  be  it  never  so 
humble,  every  one  faces  the  same  with  uncovered 
head  until  it  has  passed.  An  episode  of  this  mel- 
ancholy character  is  recalled  which  occurred  on 
San  Francisco  Street  one  morning.  A  very  hum- 
ble peon  was  seen  bearing  his  child's  coffin  upon 
his  back,  followed  by  the  mother,  grandmother, 
and  two  children,  with  downcast  eyes,  five  persons 
in  all  forming  the  sad  procession,  if  it  may  be  so 
called.  It  was  observed  that  the  gayly-dressed  and 
elegantly  mounted  cabalero  promptly  backed  his 
horse  to  the  curbstone  and  raised  his  sombrero 
while  the  mourners  moved  by,  that  other  peons 
bowed  their  bare  heads,  and  that  every  hat,  either 
silk  or  straw,  was  respectfully  doffed  along  the 
street,  as  the  solemn  little  cortege  wound  its  way 
to  the  last  resting-place  of  humanity. 


CHAPTER  XL 

The  Shrine  of  Guadalupe.  —  Priestly  Miracles.  —  A  Remarkable 
Spring.  —  The  Chapels  about  the  Hill.  —  A  Singular  Votive 
Offering.  —  Church  of  Nuestra  Sefiora  de  Guadalupe.  —  Costly 
Decorations.  —  A  Campo  Santo.  —  Tomb  of  Santa  Anna.  — 
Strange  Contrasts.  —  Guadalupe  -  Hidalgo.  —  The  Twelve 
Shrines  on  the  Causeway.  —  The  Viga  Canal.  —  The  Floating 
Islands.  —  Indian  Gamblers.  —  Vegetable  Market.  —  Flower 
Girls.  —  The  "  Noche-Triste  "  Tree.  —  Ridiculous  Signs.  — 
Queer  Titles.  —  Floral  Festival. 

GUADALUPE,  the  sacred  Mecca  of  the  Roman 
Catholics  of  Mexico,  is  reached  by  a  tramway  of 
about  two  or  three  miles  in  length,  running  in  a 
northeasterly  direction  from  the  city.  It  appears 
that  in  the  Aztec  period  there  was  here  a  native 
shrine  dedicated  to  some  mythological  god,  and  as 
the  foolish  legend  runs,  a  miracle  caused  this  spot 
to  be  changed  to  a  Christian  shrine.  The  story  is 
told  with  great  unction  by  "  true  believers,"  but 
to  a  calm,  unbiased  mind  it  is  too  utterly  ridicu- 
lous for  repetition.  These  church  miracles  were 
simply  chronic  during  the  Spanish  rule.  "  The 
religion  of  Mexico,"  says  Wilson,  "  is  a  religion  of 
priestly  miracles,  and  when  the  ordinary  rules  of 
evidence  are  applied  to  them,  they  and  the  religion 
that  rests  upon  them  fall  together."  Guadalupe 
forms  a  rough,  irregular  elevation  some  hundred 
feet  or  more  above  the  level  of  the  surrounding 
plain.  Beside  the  rude  stairway  leading  to  the 


206  AZTEC  LAND. 

top  of  the  hill,  there  is  built  a  stone  column,  in 
the  shape  of  a  ship's  mast  with  the  square  sails 
set  upon  it.  This  is  said  to  have  been  a  votive 
offering  by  some  sailors  who  were  threatened  with 
shipwreck  at  Vera  Cruz.  When  in  dire  distress, 
the  party  referred  to  vowed  that  if  the  Virgin  of 
Guadalupe  would  save  the  lives  of  the  crew,  they 
would  bring  the  ship's  mast  to  her  shrine  and  set 
it  up  there,  as  a  perpetual  memento  of  her  pro- 
tecting power.  The  mariners  were  saved  and  kept 
their  vow,  bringing  the  mast  upon  their  shoulders 
all  the  way  from  Vera  Cruz.  Here  they  set  it  up 
and  built  around  it  a  covering  of  stone,  and  thus  it 
stands  to  this  day.  It  is  between  thirty  and  forty 
feet  high,  and  about  twelve  feet  wide  at  the  base, 
tapering  upwards  —  a  most  unsightly  and  incon- 
gruous monument.  On  the  summit  of  the  hill 
there  is  a  small  chapel  known  as  the  Capilla  del 
Cerrito,  and  two  or  three  near  its  base,  one  of 
which  has  a  large  dome  covered  with  enameled 
tiles.  This  is  known  as  the  Capilla  del  Pocito, 
and  supports  in  its  cupola  some  of  the  harshest 
and  most  ear-piercing  bells  which  we  have  ever 
chanced  to  hear.  This  chapel  covers  a  somewhat 
remarkable  spring,  which  is  abundant  and  never 
failing  in  its  supply,  for  whose  waters  great  and 
miraculous  power  is  claimed.  It  manifestly  con- 
tains a  large  impregnation  of  iron,  and  is  no  doubt 
a  good  tonic,  beyond  which  its  virtues  are  of  course 
mythical.  It  is  held  by  the  surrounding  populace 
to  be  an  infallible  remedy  in  the  instance  of  un- 
fruitful women,  and  is  the  constant  resort  of  that 
class  from  far  and  near.  These  chapels  at  Gua- 


CONTRASTS.  207 

dalupe  are  decorated  in  the  crudest  and  most  in- 
artistic manner,  entirely  unworthy  of  such  belief 
as  is  professed  in  the  sacredness  of  the  place,  or 
of  the  virtues  attributed  by  the  priests  to  them 
as  a  religious  shrine.  Money  enough  has  been 
wasted,  but  there  seems  to  be  an  utter  lack  of 
good  taste. 

Over  two  million  dollars  had  been  expended 
on  the  church  of  Nuestra  Senora  de  Guadalupe, 
which  stands  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  in  supplying 
the  usual  inventory  of  jewels,  gold  and  silver  plate, 
and  other  extravagant  church  belongings.  The 
church  just  named  is  built  of  brick  and  stone  com- 
bined, with  four  towers  about  a  central  dome,  and 
is  also  known  as  the  cathedral  of  Guadalupe.  The 
solid  silver  railing  extending  from  the  choir  to  the 
high  altar  is  three  feet  in  height.  Owing  to  its 
presumed  sacredness,  this  church,  unlike  the  cathe- 
dral of  the  city  near  at  hand,  has  never  been  de- 
spoiled. Its  interior  is  very  rich  in  ornamentation, 
among  the  most  effective  portions  of  which  we 
remember  its  fine  onyx  columns  supporting  lofty 
arches  of  Moorish  architecture.  The  costly  ele- 
gance displayed  in  this  cathedral  is  exactly  suited 
to  a  faith  in  which  there  is  so  little  worship  and  so 
much  form  and  ceremony. 

On  coming  out  of  this  elaborate  edifice,  half 
dazed  by  its  expensive  and  gaudy  trappings,  we 
step  at  once  into  an  atmosphere  of  abject  poverty 
and  want.  The  surroundings  of  the  chapels  and 
cathedral  of  Guadalupe  are  in  strong  contrast  with 
the  interiors.  This  is  undoubtedly  the  dirtiest  and 
most  neglected  suburb  of  the  capital,  where  low 


208  AZTEC  LAND. 

pulque  shops  and  a  half-naked  population  of  beg- 
gars stare  one  in  the  face  at  every  turn.  "What 
sort  of  Christian  faith  is  that  which  can  hoard 
jewels  of  fabulous  value,  with  costly  plate  of  gold 
and  silver,  in  the  sacristy  of  its  temple,  while  the 
poor,  crippled,  naked  people  starve  on  the  outside 
of  its  gilded  walls  ?  "  Ah !  "  says  Shelley,  "  what  a 
divine  religion  might  be  found  out  if  charity  were 
really  made  the  principle  of  it  instead  of  faith ! " 

The  grand  view  to  be  obtained  from  the  summit 
of  the  hill  of  Guadalupe  amply  repays  the  visitor 
for  climbing  the  rude  steps  and  rough  roadway, 
notwithstanding  the  terribly  offensive  odors  aria- 
ing  from  the  dirty  condition  of  the  neglected  sur- 
roundings. It  embraces  the  city  in  the  middle 
foreground,  a  glimpse  of  Chapultepec  and  the  two 
grand  mountains  in  the  distance,  together  with  the 
surrounding  plains  dotted  with  low  adobe  villages. 
The  long  white  roads  of  the  causeways,  lined  with 
verdant  trees,  divide  the  spacious  plain  by  artistic 
lines  of  beauty,  while  between  them  green  fields  of 
alfalfa,  and  yellow,  ripening  maize  give  delightful 
bits  of  light  and  shade.  On  the  back  of  the  hill, 
behind  the  chapel  crowning  the  summit,  is  a  small 
cemetery  full  to  repletion  of  tombs  dedicated  to 
famous  persons.  Great  prices,  we  were  told,  are 
paid  for  interments  in  this  sacred  spot.  Among 
the  most  interesting  tombs  was  that  of  Santa  Anna, 
the  hero  of  more  defeats  than  any  notable  soldier 
whom  we  can  recall.  He  is  remembered  as  a 
traitor  by  the  average  Mexican  (just  as  Bazaine 
is  regarded  by  the  French),  although  he  was  five 
times  President  and  four  times  military  Dictator 


GUADALUPE-HWALGO.  209 

of  Mexico.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  eccen- 
tric and  notorious  soldier  of  fortune  was  banished  to 
the  West  Indies,  whence  he  wrote  a  congratulatory 
letter  to  the  intruder  Maximilian,  and  sought  to 
take  command  under  him.  His  proffered  aid  was 
coolly  declined,  whereupon  he  offered  his  services 
to  Juarez,  who  was  fighting  against  Maximilian, 
but  was  repulsed  with  equal  promptness.  In  a 
rage  at  this  treatment,  he  fitted  out  an  expedition 
against  both  parties,  landed  in  Mexico,  was  taken 
prisoner,  and  in  consideration  of  the  services  once 
rendered  his  country  his  life  was  spared ;  but  he 
was  again  banished,  to  finish  his  days  in  poverty 
and  in  a  foreign  land.  His  wooden  leg,  captured 
during  our  war  with  Mexico,  is  in  the  Smithsonian 
Institution  at  Washington.  The  town  which  sur- 
rounds the  immediate  locality  of  these  shrines  of 
Guadalupe  has  a  population  of  about  three  thou- 
sand, and  is  particularly  memorable  as  being  the 
place  where  the  treaty  of  Guadalupe-Hidalgo  was 
signed,  February  2,  1848,  between  the  United 
States  and  Mexico.  The  name  of  Guadalupe  was 
combined  with  that  of  Hidalgo,  the  Washington  of 
Mexico  as  he  is  called,  who  in  1810  raised  the  cry 
of  independence  against  the  Spanish  yoke,  and 
though  he  was  captured  and  shot,  after  eleven 
years  of  hard  fighting,  the  goal  of  independence 
was  reached  by  those  who  survived  him.  He  is 
reported  to  have  said  just  before  his  execution : 
"  I  die,  but  the  seeds  of  liberty  will  be  watered  by 
my  blood.  The  cause  does  not  die.  That  still 
lives  and  will  surely  triumph." 

Churches  bearing  the  name  of  Guadalupe  are  to 


210  AZTEC  LAND. 

be  found  all  over  the  country,  the  Virgin  of  Gua- 
dalupe  being  the  adopted  patron  saint  of  Mexico. 
Along  the  main  road  or  causeway  leading  from 
the  capital  to  the  hill  of  Guadalupe,  —  now  given 
up  to  the  use  of  the  Vera  Cruz  Railway,  —  one 
sees  tall  stone  shrines  which  were  erected  long  ago, 
before  which  deluded  pilgrims  and  penitents  knelt 
on  their  way  thither.  These  were  intended  to  com- 
memorate the  twelve  places  at  which  the  Saviour 
fell  down  on  his  journey  while  bearing  the  cross  to 
Calvary.  It  was  called  the  road  of  humiliation  and 
prayer,  over  which  devotees  crept  on  their  hands 
and  knees,  seeking  expiation  for  their  sins,  insti- 
gated by  priestly  suggestions  and  superstitious  fears. 
Over  this  causeway,  Maximilian,  actuated  by  his 
fanatical  religious  devotion,  and  by  a  desire  to  im- 
press the  popular  mind,  walked  barefooted  from 
the  city  walls  to  the  shrine  of  the  Virgin  of  Gua- 
dalupe !  The  hold  of  the  priests  on  the  Mexican 
people  to-day  is  confined  almost  entirely  to  the 
peons  and  humble  laborers.  It  is  a  common  say- 
ing that  when  a  peon  earns  two  dollars  he  gives 
one  dollar  and  forty-five  cents  to  the  priest,  spends 
fifty  cents  for  pulque,  and  supports  his  family  on 
the  remaining  five  cents.  Among  the  educated 
classes  the  men  are  beginning  to  refuse  to  permit 
their  wives  and  daughters  to  attend  the  confes- 
sional, the  most  subtle  and  portentous  agency  for 
evil  that  was  ever  invented,  which  has  contami- 
nated more  innocence  and  destroyed  more  domes- 
tic happiness  than  any  other  known  cause. 

The  tramway  which  runs  out  to  the  Viga  Canal 
takes   one  a  couple  of   miles  into  an   extremely 


FLOATING  ISLANDS.  211 

interesting  region,  exhibiting  many  novel  phases 
of  native  life.  The  thoroughfare  runs  beside  the 
canal  for  a  considerable  distance,  the  banks  of 
which  are  shaded  here  and  there  by  drooping  wil- 
lows and  rows  of  tall  Lombardy  poplars.  How  old 
the  canal  is,  no  one  can  say ;  it  certainly  antedates 
the  period  of  the  Conquest.  The  straw-thatched, 
Indian,  African  -  looking  town  of  Santa  Anita  is 
a  curiosity  in  itself,  surrounded  by  the  floating 
islands,  which  we  are  soberly  told  did  really  float 
centuries  ago.  "  Here  they  beheld,"  says  Prescott, 
"  those  fairy  islands  of  flowers,  overshadowed  oc- 
casionally by  trees  of  considerable  size,  rising  and 
falling  with  the  gentle  undulations  of  the  billows." 
One  does  not  like  to  play  the  role  of  an  iconoclast, 
but  probably  these  islands  were  always  pretty  much 
as  they  are  to-day.  The  "  floating  "  idea  is  a  poet- 
ical license,  and  was  born  in  the  imaginative  brain 
of  the  Spanish  writers.  Had  Prescott  ever  seen 
them,  he  would  doubtless  have  come  to  the  same 
conclusion.  "  Hanging  "  gardens  do  not  necessa- 
rily depend  from  anything,  "  floating  "  islands  need 
not  necessarily  float.  They  really  have  the  appear- 
ance of  buoyancy  to-day,  and  hence  the  figure  of 
speech  which  has  been  universally  applied  to  them. 
"  I  have  not  seen  any  floating  gardens,"  says  R. 
A.  Wilson,  author  of  "  Mexico  and  its  Religion," 
"  nor,  on  diligent  inquiry,  have  I  been  able  to  find 
a  man,  woman,  or  child  that  ever  has  seen  them, 
nor  do  I  believe  that  such  a  thing  as  a  floating 
garden  ever  existed  at  Mexico."  They  are  now 
anchored  to  the  bottom  fast  enough,  that  is  certain, 
being  separated  from  each  other  and  the  main  land 


212  AZTEC  LAND. 

by  little  narrow  canals.  The  soil  of  which  they 
are  constituted  is  kept  always  moist  by  natural 
irrigation,  and  is  wonderfully  fertile  in  producing 
flowers,  fruits,  and  mammoth  vegetables.  Seed- 
time and  harvest  are  perennial  on  these  peculiar 
islands.  Men  are  always  ready  with  a  rude  sort 
of  boat,  which  the  most  poetic  imagination  cannot 
dignify  into  a  gondola,  but  which  is  so  called. 
These  floats  are  about  fifteen  feet  long,  four  wide, 
flat  bottomed,  with  low  sides,  and  have  no  cover- 
ing. The  boatmen  row,  or  rather  pole,  the  boats 
through  the  little  canals,  giving  the  passengers  a 
view  of  the  low,  rank  vegetation  on  the  islands, 
some  of  which  present  a  pleasing  floral  picture, 
rather  curious,  but  not  very  interesting.  On  Sun- 
days and  festal  days  the  middle  and  lower  classes 
of  the  capital  come  hither  in  large  numbers  to 
amuse  themselves  with  the  tall  swings,  the  merry- 
go-rounds,  and  the  scowlike  boats,  to  eat  dulces  at 
the  booths,  and  to  drink  inordinate  quantities  of 
pulque  at  the  many  stands  at  which  it  is  dispensed 
at  popular  prices.  The  pungent  liquor  permeates 
the  surrounding  atmosphere  with  its  sour  and  offen- 
sive odor.  Here  one  sees  numerous  groups  busy 
at  that  besetting  sin  of  the  Indians,  gambling.  It 
is  practiced  on  all  occasions  and  in  all  places^  the 
prevailing  means  being  "  the  wheel  of  fortune." 
An  itinerant  bearing  one  of  these  instruments 
strapped  about  his  shoulders  stops  here  and  there, 
soon  gathering  a  crowd  of  the  curious  about  him. 
The  lottery-ticket  vender  drowns  all  other  cries  in 
his  noisy  search  after  customers,  reaping  a  large 
harvest,  especially  on  Sundays,  in  this  popular 


MAMMOTH  VEGETABLES.  213 

resort.  The  old  stone  church  of  Santa  Anita  is 
a  crumbling  mass  of  Moorish  architecture,  with  a 
fine  tower,  the  whole  sadly  out  of  repair,  yet  plainly 
speaking  of  past  grandeur. 

On  the  way  to  these  islands  by  the  Paseo  de  la 
Viga,  we  pass  through  an  outdoor  vegetable  mar- 
ket, which  is  remarkable  for  the  size  of  some  of  the 
specimens  offered  for  sale  ;  radishes  were  displayed 
which  were  as  large  as  beets,  also  plethoric  turnips, 
overgrown  potatoes,  ambitious  carrots,  and  broad 
spread  heads  of  lettuce  as  big  as  a  Mexican  som- 
brero. There  were  many  sorts  of  greens  for  making 
salads,  of  which  the  average  Mexican  is  very  fond, 
besides  flowers  mingled  with  tempting  fruits,  such 
as  oranges,  lemons,  melons,  and  pineapples.  The  lat- 
ter, we  suspect,  must  have  come  from  as  far  south 
as  Cordova.  Young  Indian  girls,  with  garlands  of 
various-colored  poppies  about  their  necks,  like  the 
natives  of  Hawaii,  offered  us  for  a  trifle  tiny  bou- 
quets made  of  rosebuds,  pansies,  violets,  tuberoses, 
and  scarlet  geraniums,  all  grown  close  at  hand  on 
these  misnamed  floating  islands.  One  low,  thatched 
adobe  cabin,  between  the  roadway  and  the  canals, 
in  Santa  Anita,  was  covered  with  a  mammoth 
blooming  vine,  known  here  as  the  copa  de  oro.  Its 
great  yellow  flowers  were  indeed  like  cups  of  gold, 
inviting  our  attention  above  all  the  other  floral 
emblems  for  which  the  little  Indian  village  is 
famous.  Great  quantities  come  daily  from  this 
suburb  to  supply  the  city  demand,  and  especially 
on  the  occasion  of  the  floral  festivals,  which  have 
their  headquarters  in  the  plaza  and  the  alameda, 
as  elsewhere  described. 


214  AZTEC  LAND. 

There  is  much  to  be  seen  and  enjoyed  in  these 
brief  excursions  by  tramway  into  the  environs  of 
the  city.  One  should  not  forget  to  take  the  cars 
which  start  from  the  west  side  of  the  Plaza  Mayor, 
and  which  pass  through  the  Riviera  de  San  Cosme 
out  to  the  village  of  Popotla,  where  the  famous 
"  Noche-triste  "  tree  is  to  be  seen.  It  is  situated 
about  three  miles  from  the  plaza.  Cortez  is  said  to 
have  sat  down  under  its  branches  and  wept  over 
his  misfortunes  when  he  was  obliged  to  retreat 
from  the  capital,  on  the  night  of  July  1,  1520,  still 
known  as  the  "Dismal  Night."  Whether  this 
story  be  true  or  otherwise,  it  matters  very  little. 
Suffice  it  that  this  big  gnarled  tree  is  held  sacred 
and  historic  by  the  citizens,  and  is  always  vis- 
ited by  strangers  who  come  to  the  capital.  It  is 
of  the  cedar  family,  and  its  dilapidated  condition, 
together  with  the  size  of  the  trunk,  shows  its  great 
antiquity.  At  present  it  measures  ten  feet  in  di- 
ameter at  the  base,  with  a  height  exceeding  forty 
feet.  Although  broken  arid  decayed  in  many  of 
its  parts,  it  is  sufficiently  alive  to  bear  foliage. 
The  gray,  drooping  moss  hangs  from  its  decaying 
branches,  like  a  mourner's  veil  shrouding  face  and 
neck,  emblematic  of  the  tears  which  the  daring 
adventurer  is  said  to  have  wept  in  its  shadow.  An 
iron  railing  protects  the  tree  from  careless  usage 
and  from  the  knives  of  ruthless  relic  hunters.  A 
party  of  so-called  ladies  and  gentlemen  —  we  are 
sorry  to  say  they  were  Americans  —  broke  off  some 
of  the  twigs  of  the  tree,  in  1885,  to  bring  away 
with  them.  For  this  vandalism  they  were  promptly 
arrested,  and  very  properly  fined  by  a  Mexican 


CURIOUS  SIGNS.  215 

court.  Close  by  this  interesting  tree  of  the  "  Dis- 
mal Night"  stands  the  ancient  church  of  San 
Esteban. 

The  practice  prevails  in  the  cities  of  Mexico 
that  one  sees  in  Cuba  and  in  continental  Spain, 
as  regards  the  signs  which  traders  place  over  their 
doors.     The  individual's  name  is  never  given,  but 
the  merchant  adopts  some  fancy  one  to  designate 
his  place  of  business.     Seeing  the  title  "  El  Con- 
greso  Americana,"  "  The  American  Congress,"  we 
were  a  little  disconcerted,  on  investigation,  to  find 
that  it  was  the  sign  of  a  large  and  popular  bar- 
room.    Near  by  was  another  sign  reading  thus : 
"  El  Diablo,"  that  is,  "  The  Devil."     This   was 
over  a  pulque  shop,  which  seemed  to  be  appropri- 
ately designated.      Farther  on   towards   the  ala- 
meda  was  "  El  Sueno  de  Amor,"  signifying  "  The 
Dream  of  Love."    This  was  over  a  shop  devoted  to 
the  sale  of  serapes  and  other  dry  goods.     On  the 
Calle  de  San  Bernardo,  over  one  of  the  entrances 
where  dry  goods  were  sold,  was  seen,  in  large  gold 
letters,  "  La  Perla,"  "  The  Pearl."      Again  near 
the  plaza  we  read,  "  La  Dos  Republics,"  meaning 
"  The  Two  Republics."     This  was  a  hat  store,  with 
gorgeous  sombreros  displayed  for  sale.     "  El  Re- 
creo,"  "  The  Retreat,"  was  a  billiard  hall  and  bar- 
room combined,  while  not  far  away  "  El  Opalo," 
"  The  Opal,"  designated  a  store  where  dulces  were 
sold.     "La  Bomba,"  "The  Bomb,"  was  the  sign 
over  a  saddle  and  harness  shop.     "  El  Amor  Can- 
tivo,"  "  Captive  Love,"  was   the  motto  of  a  dry 
goods  store.     "  La   Coquetta,"    "  The  Coquette," 
was  the  title  of  a  cigar  shop. 


216  AZTEC  LAND. 

These  stores  are  almost  all  conducted  by  French 
or  German  owners,  with  now  and  then  a  Jew  of 
uncertain  nationality ;  few  are  kept  by  Spaniards, 
and  none  by  Americans,  or  citizens  of  the  United 
States.  American  enterprise  seeks  expression  here 
in  a  larger  field.  Where  a  trunk  line  of  railroad 
a  thousand  miles  or  more  is  demanded,  as  in  the 
instance  of  the  Mexican  Central,  they  are  sure  to 
be  found  at  the  front,  with  capital,  executive  abil- 
ity, and  the  energy  which  commands  success.  The 
surveys  for  the  Mexican  railroads  demanding  the 
very  best  ability  were  made  by  Americans,  the 
locomotive  drivers  are  nearly  all  Americans,  and 
more  than  half  the  conductors  upon  the  regular 
railway  trains  are  Americans.  The  infusion  of 
American  spirit  among  the  Mexican  people  is  per- 
haps slow,  but  it  is  none  the  less  sure  and  steady. 

Each  sort  of  business  has  its  distinctive  emblem. 
The  butcher  always  hangs  out  a  crimson  banner. 
In  some  portions  of  the  town  there  are  painted 
caricatures  on  the  fronts  of  certain  places  to  desig- 
nate their  special  business.  For  instance,  in  front 
of  a  pulque  shop  is  found  a  laughable  figure  of  a 
man  with  a  ponderous  stomach,  drinking  his  favor- 
ite tipple.  At  another,  which  is  the  popular  drink- 
ing resort  of  the  bull-fighters,  is  represented  a 
scene  where  a  picadore  is  being  tossed  high  in  air 
from  the  horns  of  an  infuriated  bull,  and  so  on. 
The  names  of  some  of  the  streets  of  the  capital 
show  how  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  tried  to 
impress  itself  upon  the  attention  of  the  populace 
even  in  the  titles  of  large  thoroughfares.  Thus  we 
have  the  Crown  of  Thorns  Street,  the  Holy  Ghost 


FLOWER  FESTIVAL.  217 

Bridge,  Mother  of  Sorrows  Street,  Blood  of  Christ 
Street,  Holy  Ghost  Street,  Street  of  the  Sacred 
Heart,  and  the  like.  Protestants  of  influence  have 
protested  against  this  use  of  names,  and  changes 
therein  have  been  seriously  considered  by  the  local 
government.  As  previously  explained,  some  of 
these  streets  have  been  so  named  because  there 
were  churches  bearing  these  titles  situated  in 
them. 

Friday,  the  28th  of  March,  the  day  of  Viernes 
de  Dolores,  was  a  floral  festal  occasion  in  and 
about  the  city  of  Mexico.  The  origin  of  this  ob- 
servance we  did  not  exactly  understand,  except 
that  it  is  an  old  Indian  custom,  which  is  carefully 
honored  by  all  classes,  and  a  very  beautiful  one  it 
most  certainly  is.  For  several  days  previous  to 
that  devoted  to  the  exhibition,  preparations  were 
made  for  it  by  the  erection  of  frames,  tents,  can- 
vas roofing,  and  the  like,  in  the  centre  of  the  ala- 
meda  and  over  its  approaches.  At  sunrise  on  the 
day  designated,  the  people  resorted  in  crowds  to 
the  broad  and  beautiful  paths,  roadways,  and  cir- 
cles of  the  delightful  old  park,  to  find  pyramids  of 
flowers  elegantly  arranged  about  the  fountains, 
while  the  passageways  were  lined  by  flower  dealers 
from  the  country  with  beautiful  and  fragrant  bou- 
quets, for  sale  at  prices  and  in  shapes  to  suit  all 
comers.  Nothing  but  a  true  love  of  flowers  could 
suggest  such  attractive  combinations.  Into  some 
of  the  bouquets  strawberries  with  long  stems  were 
introduced,  in  order  to  obtain  a  certain  effect  of 
color  ;  in  others  was  seen  a  handsome  red  berry 
in  clusters,  like  the  fruit  of  the  mountain  ash. 


218  AZTEC  LAND. 

We  had  observed  the  preparations,  and  were  on 
the  spot  at  the  first  peep  of  the  day.  The  In- 
dians came  down  the  Paseo  de  la  Reforms  in  the 
gray  light  of  the  dawn,  and  stopped  beside  the  en- 
trance to  the  alameda,  men  and  women  laden  with 
fragrance  and  bloom  from  all  parts  of  the  valley 
of  Mexico  within  a  radius  of  forty  miles  from  the 
city.  One  lot  of  burros,  numbering  a  score  and 
more,  formed  a  singularly  picturesque  and  novel 
group.  The  animals,  except  their  heads  and  long 
ears,  were  absolutely  hidden  beneath  masses  of  ra- 
diant color.  Groups  of  women  sitting  upon  the 
ground  were  busy  making  up  bouquets,  which  were 
most  artistically  combined.  These  natives  love 
bright  colors,  and  have  an  instinctive  eye  for  grace- 
ful combinations. 

Of  course  the  variety  of  flowers  was  infinite. 
We  remember,  among  them,  red  and  white  roses, 
pansies,  violets,  heliotropes,  sweet  peas,  gardenias, 
camelias,  both  calla  and  tiger  lilies,  honeysuckles, 
forget-me-nots,  verbenas,  pinks  in  a  variety  of 
colors,  larkspur,  jasmine,  petunias,  morning  glo- 
ries, tulips,  scarlet  geraniums,  and  others.  Three 
military  bands  placed  in  central  positions  added 
spirit  and  interest  to  the  suggestive  occasion.  The 
harmony  of  the  music  blended  with  the  perfume  of 
the  flowers,  completing  the  charm  of  such  a  scene 
of  floral  extravagance  as  we  have  never  before  wit- 
nessed. Our  florists  might  get  many  bright,  new 
ideas  as  to  the  arrangements  of  bouquets  from 
these  Mexicans. 

None  of  the  populace  seemed  to  be  too  poor  to 
purchase  freely  of  the  flowers,  all  decking  their 


FLORAL  DECORATION.  219 

persons  with  them.  As  fast  as  the  bouquets  were 
disposed  of,  their  places  were  filled  with  a  fresh 
supply,  the  source  being,  apparently,  inexhausti- 
ble. Young  and  old,  rich  and  poor,  thronged  to 
the  flower  -  embowered  alameda  on  this  occasion, 
and  there  was  no  seeming  diminution  of  demand 
or  of  supply  up  to  high  noon,  when  we  left  the 
still  enthusiastic  and  merry  crowd.  In  the  after- 
noon, no  matter  in  what  part  of  the  town  we  were, 
the  same  floral  enthusiasm  and  spirit  possessed  the 
populace.  Balcony,  doorway,  carriage  windows, 
and  market  baskets,  married  women  and  youthful 
senoritas,  boys  and  girls,  cripples  and  beggars, 
all  indulged  in  floral  decoration  and  display.  It 
appeared  that  several  carloads  of  flowers  came 
from  far-away  Jalapa  to  supply  the  demand  in  the 
national  capital  made  upon  the  kingdom  of  Flora 
for  this  flower  festival. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Castle  of  Chapul tepee.  —  "Hill  of  the  Grasshopper." — Monte- 
zuma's  Retreat.  —  Palace  of  the  Aztec  Kings.  —  West  Point 
of  Mexico.  —  Battles  of  Molino  del  Rey  and  Churubusco.  — 
The  Mexican  White  House.  —  High  above  Sea  Level.  —  Vil- 
lage of  Tacubaya.  —  Antique  Carvings.  —  Ancient  Toluca.  — 
The  Maguey.  —  Fine  Scenery.  —  Cima.  —  Snowy  Peaks.  — 
Leon  d'Oro.  —  The  Bull  -  Ring  and  Cockpit.  —  A  Literary 
Institution.  —  The  Coral  Tree.  —  Ancient  Pyramids.  —  Pa- 
chuca.  —  Silver  Product  of  the  Mines.  —  A  Cornish  Colony.  — 
Native  Cabins.  —  Indian  Endurance. 

ONE  of  the  pleasantest  excursions  in  the  envi- 
rons of  the  capital  is  in  a  southwesterly  direction 
to  the  castle  of  Chapultepec,  a  name  which  signi- 
fies the  "  Hill  of  the  Grasshopper."  It  is  situated 
at  the  end  of  the  long  Paseo  de  la  Reforma,  the 
grandest  avenue  in  the  country,  running  straight 
away  two  miles  and  more  between  statuary  and 
ornamental  trees  to  this  historic  and  attractive 
locality.  About  Chapultepec  are  gathered  more 
of  the  grand  memories  of  the  country  than  on  any 
other  spot  south  of  the  Rio  Grande.  Here  it  was 
intended  to  establish  the  most  grand  and  sump- 
tuous court  of  the  nineteenth  century,  over  which 
Maximilian  and  Carlotta  were  to  preside  as  em- 
peror and  empress.  Their  ambition  was  limitless  ; 
but  how  brief  was  their  day-dream !  The  fortress 
occupies  a  very  commanding  position,  standing 
upon  a  rocky  upheaval  some  two  hundred  feet 


CHAPULTEPEC.  221 

above  the  surrounding  plain,  thus  rising  abruptly 
out  of  the  marshy  swamp.  It  is  encircled  by  a 
beautiful  park  composed  mostly  of  old  cypress- 
trees,  many  of  which  are  draped  in  gray  Spanish 
moss,  as  soft  and  suggestive  an  adornment  as  that 
of  the  moss-rose.  We  ascend  the  hill  to  the  cas- 
tle by  a  deeply-shaded  road,  formed  by  a  wood  so 
dense  that  the  sun  scarcely  penetrates  its  darkness. 
On  the  side  of  this  tree-embowered  road,  about 
halfway  to  the  summit,  one  is  shown  a  natural 
cave,  before  the  mouth  of  which  is  a  huge  iron 
gate.  Herein,  it  is  said,  the  Aztec  kings  deposited 
their  treasures.  Here,  also,  Cortez  is  believed  to 
have  placed  his  stolen  wealth,  under  guard  of  his 
most  trusted  followers,  which  was  afterward  trans- 
ported to  Spain.  One  immemorial  cypress  was 
pointed  out  to  us  in  the  grove  of  Chapultepec, 
said  to  have  been  a  favorite  resort  of  Montezuma 
I.,  who  often  enjoyed  its  cooling  shade.  This  tree 
measures  about  fifty  feet  in  circumference.  We 
were  assured,  by  good  local  authority,  that  some 
of  these  trees  date  back  to  more  than  twice  ten 
hundred  years.  If  there  is  any  truth  in  the  con- 
centric ring  theory,  this  is  easily  proved.  The 
best-informed  persons  upon  this  subject  have  little 
doubt  that  these  trees  are  the  remains  of  a  pri- 
meval forest  which  surrounded  the  burial-place  of 
the  Incas.  There  is  plenty  of  evidence  to  show 
that  when  Cortez  first  penetrated  the  country  and 
reached  this  high  plain  of  Anahuac,  it  was  covered 
with  a  noble  forest  of  oaks,  cedars,  cypresses,  and 
other  trees.  To  one  who  has  not  seen  the  giant 
trees  of  Australia  and  the  grand  conifers  of  the 


222  AZTEC  LAND. 

Yosemite  Valley,  these  mammoths  must  be  indeed 
a  revelation,  —  trees  that  may  have  been  growing 
before  the  advent  of  Christ  upon  earth.  Here  and 
there  a  few  modern  elms  and  pines  have  been 
planted  in  the  Chapultepec  grove ;  and  though 
they  are  of  respectable  or  average  size,  they  look 
like  pigmies  beside  these  gigantic  trees.  During 
all  the  wars  and  battles  which  have  taken  place 
around  and  above  them,  these  grand  old  monarchs 
have  remained  undisturbed,  flourishing  quietly 
amid  the  fiercest  strife  of  the  elements  and  the 
bitter  contentions  of  men. 

According  to  Spanish  history,  here  stood  of  old 
the  palace  of  the  Aztec  kings ;  and  it  seems  to 
have  ever  been  the  favorite  abiding  place  of  the 
Mexican  rulers,  from  the  time  of  Montezuma  I.  to 
President  Diaz,  being  a  fortress,  a  palace,  and  a 
charming  garden  combined,  overlooking  the  grand- 
est valley  on  the  continent.  On  Sundays  the  elite 
of  the  city  come  here  to  enjoy  the  delightful  drive, 
as  well  as  the  shady  park  which  leads  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hill,  welcomed  by  the  fragrance  of  flow- 
ers, and  charmed  by  the  rippling  of  cooling  foun- 
tains. At  the  base  of  the  elevation  on  which  the 
castle  stands,  at  its  eastern  foot,  bursts  forth  the 
abundant  spring  from  which  the  city  is  in  part 
supplied  with  water.  Here  begins  the  San  Cosme 
aqueduct,  a  huge,  arched  structure  of  heavy  ma- 
sonry, which  adds  picturesqueness  to  the  scenery. 
Maximilian,  upon  taking  up  his  abode  here,  caused 
a  number  of  beautiful  avenues  to  be  constructed 
in  various  directions,  suitable  for  drives,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  grand  paseo  leading  to  the  city,  which 


CLASSIC  GROUND.  223 

also  owes  its  construction  to  his  taste  and  liberal- 
ity. The  drives  about  the  castle  are  shaded  by 
tall,  thickly-set  trees  of  various  sorts,  planted  within 
the  last  twenty  years. 

Chapultepec  is  now  improved  in  part  for  a  mili- 
tary school,  the  "  West  Point "  of  Mexico,  accom- 
modating a  little  over  three  hundred  cadets,  who, 
coming  from  the  best  families  of  the  country,  here 
serve  a  seven  years'  apprenticeship  in  acquiring  a 
sound  education  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the 
art  of  war.  The  course  of  studies,  it  is  understood, 
is  very  comprehensive,  and  to  graduate  here  is 
esteemed  a  high  honor  from  an  educational  point 
of  view.  Several  of  the  professors  who  are  at- 
tached to  the  institution  came  from  the  best  Euro- 
pean schools.  We  were  shown  through  the  dormi- 
tories of  the  cadets  and  other  domestic  offices, 
where  everything  was  in  admirable  order,  but  it 
was  a  disappointment  to  see  the  lackadaisical  man- 
ner of  these  young  gentlemen  on  parade,  quite  in 
consonance  with  the  undisciplined  character  of  the 
rank  and  file  of  the  army.  The  pretense  of  dis- 
cipline was  a  mere  subterfuge,  and  would  simply 
disgust  a  West  Pointer  or  a  European  soldier. 
These  cadets  were  somehow  very  diminutive  in 
stature,  and  their  presence  was  anything  but 
manly. 

This  is  justly  regarded  as  classic  ground  in  the 
ancient  and  modern  history  of  the  country.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  the  steep  acclivity,  though 
bravely  defended,  was  stormed  and  captured  by 
a  mere  handful  of  Americans  under  General  Pil- 
low during  the  war  of  1847.  In  the  rear  of  the 


224  AZTEC  LAND. 

hill,  to  the  southward,  less  than  two  miles  away,  is 
the  field  where  the  battle  of  Molino  del  Rey  — 
"  the  King's  Mill "  —  was  fought,  and  not  far 
away  that  of  Churubusco,  both  contests  won  by 
the  Americans,  who  were  under  the  command  of 
General  Scott.  Lieutenant  Grant,  afterwards  Gen- 
eral Grant  and  President  of  the  United  States, 
was  one  of  the  first  to  enter  the  fortified  position 
at  the  taking  of  Chapultepec.  Grant,  in  his  me- 
moirs, pays  General  Scott  due  honor  as  a  soldier 
and  a  strategist,  but  expresses  the  opinion  that 
both  the  battles  of  Chapultepec  and  Molino  del 
Rey  were  needless,  as  the  two  positions  could  have 
been  turned. 

Any  civilian  can  realize  the  mistake  which  Scott 
made.  The  possession  of  the  mill  at  that  juncture 
was  of  no  consequence.  Chapultepec  was  of  course 
to  be  carried,  and  when  our  troops  were  in  posses- 
sion of  that  fortified  height  the  position  at  the  mill 
was  untenable.  A  fierce  and  unnecessary,  though 
victorious  battle  on  our  part  was  here  fought, 
wherein  the  Americans  suffered  considerable  loss, 
principally  from  a  masked  battery,  which  was 
manned  by  volunteers  from  the  city  workshops. 
Near  to  Molino  del  Rey  the  Mexicans  have  erected 
a  monument  commemorating  their  own  valor  and 
defeat,  when  close  to  a  city  of  nearly  three  hundred 
thousand  inhabitants  their  redoubtable  army  was 
beaten  and  driven  from  the  field  by  about  ten  thou- 
sand Americans.  The  Mexicans  did  not  and  do  not 
lack  for  courage,  but  they  required  proper  leaders 
which  they  had  not,  and  a  unity  of  purpose  in 
which  they  were  equally  deficient. 


MAXIMILIAN'S  PALACE.  225 

As  intimated,  a  portion  of  the  spacious  castle 
forms  the  residence  of  the  chief  of  the  republic, 
being  thus  the  "  White  House,"  as  it  is  termed,  of 
Mexico,  in  which  are  many  spacious  halls  and  gal- 
leries, all  of  which  are  handsomely  decorated,  the 
outside  being  surrounded  by  wide  marble  terraces 
and  paved  courts.  Here  Maximilian  expended 
half  a  million  dollars  in  gaudy  ornamentations 
and  radical  alterations  to  suit  his  lavish  desires. 
The  interior  decorations  were  copies  from  Pompeii. 
For  the  brief  period  which  he  was  permitted  to 
occupy  the  castle,  it  was  famous  for  a  succession 
of  fetes,  receptions,  dinners,  and  dances.  No  Eu- 
ropean court  could  surpass  the  lavish  elegance  and 
dissipation  which  was  indulged  in  by  Maximilian 
and  his  very  sweet  but  ambitious  wife  Carlotta. 
Her  personal  popularity  and  influence  was  fully 
equal  to  that  of  her  husband,  while  her  tenacity  of 
purpose  and  strength  of  will  far  excelled  that  of 
the  vacillating  and  conceited  emperor. 

The  view  from  the  lofty  ramparts  is  perhaps  the 
finest  in  the  entire  valley  of  Mexico,  which  is  in 
form  an  elevated  plain  about  thirty  by  forty  miles 
in  extent,  its  altitude  being  a  little  less  than  eight 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  This  view  embraces 
the  national  capital,  with  its  countless  spires,  domes, 
and  public  buildings,  the  magnificent  avenues  of 
trees  leading  to  the  city,  its  widespread  environs, 
the  looming  churches  of  Guadalupe,  the  village- 
dotted  plain  stretching  away  in  all  directions,  the 
distant  lakes  glowing  beneath  the  sun's  rays,  and 
having  for  a  background  at  the  eastward  two  of 
the  loftiest,  glacier-crowned  mountains  on  the  con- 


226  AZTEC  LAND. 

tinent,  bold  and  beautiful  in  outline,  tranquil  and 
immovable  in  their  grandeur.  The  steady  glow  of 
the  warm  sunlight  gilded  cross  and  pinnacle,  as  we 
gazed  on  this  picture  through  the  softening  haze 
of  approaching  twilight,  —  a  view  which  we  have 
hardly,  if  ever,  seen  surpassed. 

In  ascending  the  many  steps  which  lead  to  the 
battlements  of  Chapultepec,  one  of  our  party,  a 
Boston  lady,  fairly  gasped  for  breath,  declaring 
that  some  serious  illness  threatened  her ;  but  when 
she  was  quietly  informed  that  she  was  about  forty 
times  as  high  above  the  sea  as  the  vane  on  Park 
Street  Church  in  her  native  city,  she  realized  what 
it  was  that  caused  a  temporary  difficulty  in  breath- 
ing ;  it  was  the  extremely  rarefied  atmosphere,  to 
which  she  was  not  accustomed.  At  such  an  eleva- 
tion, in  the  latitude  of  Boston,  the  temperature 
would  be  almost  arctic  ;  but  it  is  to  be  remem- 
bered that  this  high  table-land  of  the  valley  of 
Mexico  is  under  the  Tropic  of  Cancer,  and  there- 
fore enjoys  almost  a  perpetual  spring,  though  it 
is  extremely  dry.  The  atmosphere  is,  in  fact,  so 
devoid  of  moisture  that  food  or  fresh  meat  will 
dry  up,  but  will  not  mould  or  spoil,  however  long 
it  may  be  kept. 

On  the  left  of  Chapultepec  lies  the  attractive 
suburban  village  of  Tacubaya,  already  referred  to, 
where  the  wealthy  citizens  of  the  capital  have  sum- 
mer residences,  some  of  which  are  really  so  elegant 
as  to  have  a  national  reputation.  These  are  thrown 
open  to  strangers  on  certain  days,  to  exhibit  their 
accumulation  of  rare  and  beautiful  objects  of  art, 
and  the  luxuries  of  domestic  life. 


TOLUCA.  227 

As  we  left  Chapultepec  by  a  narrow  road  wind- 
ing through  the  remnant  of  a  once  vast  forest,  at- 
tention was  called  to  the  ancient  inscriptions  upon 
the  rocks  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  hill  near  the 
roadside.  They  are  in  half  relief ;  and,  so  far  as 
we  could  decipher  them,  they  seemed  to  be  Toltec 
rather  than  Aztec.  They  are  engraven  on  the  nat- 
ural rock,  and  are  of  a  character  quite  unintelligi- 
ble to  the  present  generation.  For  years  these 
were  hidden  by  the  dense  undergrowth,  being  on 
the  edge  of  the  plain,  near  the  spot  where  the 
Americans  clambered  up  the  steep  acclivity  when 
they  stormed  the  castle.  The  shrubbery  has  now 
been  cleared  away  so  as  to  render  them  distinctly 
visible. 

Toluca,  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Mexico,  is 
easily  reached  by  a  narrow  gauge  railway,  being 
less  than  fifty  miles  from  the  national  capital.  It 
is  a  well-built  and  thriving  town,  containing  about 
twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants,  more  or  less,  and 
situated  at  an  elevation  of  about  eight  thousand 
and  six  hundred  feet  above  the  sea.  The  muni- 
cipal buildings  and  state  capitol,  all  modern,  are 
thought  to  be  the  finest  in  the  republic.  They 
face  upon  a  delightful  plaza,  the  almost  universal 
arrangement  in  these  cities.  Beyond  the  valley 
of  Toluca,  which  is  larger  than  that  of  Mexico,  are 
others  as  broad  and  as  fertile,  all  of  which  are 
watered  by  the  Rio  Lerma.  The  trip  hither  from 
the  national  capital  leads  us  through  some  of  the 
grandest  scenery  in  the  country,  as  well  as  taking 
us  over  some  of  the  most  abrupt  ascents  in  Mexico. 
The  districts  through  which  the  road  passes  nearest 


228  AZTEC  LAND. 

to  the  city  are  mostly  given  up  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  pulque-producing  maguey.  These  planta- 
tions are  of  great  extent,  being  arranged  with 
mathematical  precision,  the  plants  placed  ten  feet 
apart  in  each  direction,  in  fields  of  twenty  or 
thirty  acres.  The  very  sight  of  them  sets  one  to 
moralizing.  Like  the  beautiful  but  treacherous 
poppy  fields  which  dazzle  one  in  India,  they  are 
only  too  thrifty,  too  fruitful,  too  ready  to  yield  up 
their  heart's  blood  for  the  pleasure,  delusion,  and 
ruin  of  the  people.  We  are  all  familiar  with  the 
broad,  long,  bayonet-like  leaf  of  this  plant,  which 
is  to  be  seen  in  most  of  our  conservatories,  known 
to  us  by  the  name  of  the  century  plant,  and  to 
botanists  as  the  Agave  Americana.  It  rarely 
blooms  except  in  tropical  climates.  Indeed,  it  is 
best  known  with  us  at  the  north  as  the  century 
plant,  a  popular  fallacy  having  become  attached 
to  it,  that  it  blooms  but  once  in  a  hundred  years. 
Hence  the  name  which  it  bears  in  New  England. 
When  the  juice  is  first  extracted  it  is  sweet  like 
new  cider,  and  is  as  harmless  ;  it  is  believed  to  pos- 
sess special  curative  properties  for  some  chronic 
ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to,  but  fermentation  sets  in 
soon  after  it  is  separated  from  the  plant,  and  the 
alcoholic  principle  is  promptly  developed.  We 
were  told  at  the  city  of  Mexico  that  the  govern- 
ment treasury  realizes  a  thousand  dollars  each  day 
as  a  tax  upon  the  pulque  which  is  brought  into  the 
capital  from  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  that 
the  railway  companies  receive  an  equal  sum  for  the 
freight. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  maguey  :  the  cultivated 


LOCAL  SCENERY.  229 

plant  from  which  comes  pulque,  and  one  which 
grows  wild  in  the  desert  parts  of  the  country. 
From  the  latter  is  distilled  a  coarse  liquor  which 
is  highly  intoxicating,  called  mescal.  This  is  a 
digression.  Let  us  speak  of  our  journey  to  Toluca. 
If  this  very  interesting  city  did  not  possess  any 
special  attraction  in  itself,  the  unsurpassed  scenery 
to  be  enjoyed  on  the  route  thither  would  amply 
repay  the  traveler  for  the  brief  journey.  At  about 
twenty  miles  from  the  city  of  Mexico,  it  is  found 
that  we  have  risen  to  an  elevation  of  eleven  hun- 
dred feet  above  it,  from  which  point  delightful 
views  present  themselves,  embracing  the  entire 
valley,  its  various  thrifty  crops  distinguishable  by 
their  many  hues ;  here,  yellow,  ripening  grain  ; 
there,  the  blue-green  maguey  plant ;  and  yonder, 
wide  patches  of  dark,  nutritious  alfalfa;  together 
with  irrigating  streams  sparkling  in  the  sunshine, 
enlivened  here  and  there  by  groups  of  grazing 
cattle.  Now  an  adobe  hamlet  comes  into  view,  the 
low  whitewashed  cabins  clustering  about  a  gray  old 
stone  church.  Creeping  up  the  mountain  paths 
are  long  lines  of  toiling  burros,  laden  from  hoofs  to 
ears  with  ponderous  packs,  and  on  the  dusty  road 
are  straggling  natives,  men  and  women,  bearing 
heavy  loads  of  produce,  of  wood,  pottery,  and 
fruit,  to  the  nearest  market ;  while  not  far  away  a 
ploughman,  driving  three  mules  abreast,  turns  the 
rich  black  soil  with  his  one-pronged,  one-handled 
plough.  Villages  and  plantations  are  passed  in 
rapid  succession,  where  scores  of  square,  tower-like 
corn  cribs,  raised  upon  four  standards,  .are  seen 
adjoining  the  low,  picturesque  farmhouses. 


230  AZTEC  LAND. 

At  Dos  Kios  (Two  Elvers),  half-clad,  gypsy- 
looking  women  and  young,  nut-brown  girls  be- 
siege the  passengers  to  partake  of  fresh  pulque, 
which  they  serve  in  •  small  earthen  mugs.  Two 
stout  engines  are  required  to  draw  us  over  the 
steep  grade.  The  highest  point  reached  is  at  Cima 
(The  Summit)  twenty-four  miles  from  the  city  of 
Mexico,  and  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  sea.  This  is  the  most  elevated  station  in  the 
country,  seriously  affecting  the  respiration  of  many 
of  our  party.  Indeed,  any  considerable  exertion 
puts  one  quite  out  of  breath  at  such  an  altitude. 
The  conductor  of  the  train  was  an  American,  who 
had  been  engaged  upon  this  route  for  a  year  and 
more ;  but  he  assured  the  author  that  he  was  as 
seriously  affected  by  the  great  elevation  as  when 
he  first  took  the  position.  It  was  observed,  how- 
ever, that  the  natives  did  not  seem  to  experience 
any  such  discomfort. 

From  Cima  we  descend  the  western  slope  of  the 
ridge  by  a  series  of  grand,  abrupt  curves  through 
the  valley  of  San  Lazar,  after  having  thus  crossed 
the  range  of  mountains  known  as  Las  Cruces. 
The  white-headed  peak  of  the  Nevada  de  Toluca, 
over  fifteen  thousand  feet  in  height,  —  the  fourth 
highest  peak  in  Mexico,  —  is  long  in  sight  from 
the  car  windows,  first  on  one  side  of  the  route  and 
then  on  the  other,  while  we  pass  over  the  twists 
and  turns  of  the  track  to  the  music  of  rippling 
waters  escorting  us  to  the  plains  below.  Moun- 
tain climbers  tell  us  that  from  the  apex  of  this 
now  sleeping  volcano  the  Pacific  Ocean,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  miles  away,  can  be  seen.  It  is  also 


AN  OLD  CITY.  231 

said  that  with  a  powerful  field  -  glass  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  can  be  discerned  from  the  same  position, 
at  a  much  longer  distance.  Baron  von  Humboldt 
tells  us  that  he  ascended  this  peak  in  Septem- 
ber, 1803,  and  that  the  actual  summit  is  scarcely 
ten  feet  wide.  It  occupied  this  indefatigable  sci- 
entist two  days  to  make  the  ascent  from  Toluca 
and  return. 

But  let  us  tell  the  patient  reader  about  Toluca 
itself.  The  streets  are  spacious,  well-paved,  and 
cleanly.  A  tramway  takes  us  from  the  depot 
through  the  Calle  de  la  Independencia,  on  which 
thoroughfare  there  is  a  statue  of  Hidalgo,  which 
by  its  awkward  pose  and  twisted  limbs  suggests 
the  idea  of  a  person  under  the  influence  of  pulque. 
At  the  hotel  Leon  d'Oro,  an  excellent  and  well- 
served  dinner  was  enjoyed,  and  it  is  spoken  of 
here  because  such  an  experience  is  a  rara  avis  in 
the  republic  of  Mexico.  Among  the  numberless 
churches,  a  curious  one  will  long  be  remembered, 
namely,  the  Santa  Vera  Cruz,  the  facade  of  which 
very  much  resembles  that  of  a  dime  museum,  hav- 
ing a  lot  of  grotesquely-colored  figures  of  saints 
standing  guard. 

Toluca,  notwithstanding  its  appearance  of  new- 
ness, is  really  one  of  the  oldest  settlements  in  the 
country,  dating  from  the  year  1533.  Activity  and 
growth  are  manifest  on  all  sides.  There  is  a  spa- 
cious alameda  in  the  environs,  but  it  is  not  kept  in 
very  good  condition.  The  town  has  two  capacious 
theatres,  and  a  large  bull-ring,  which  is  infamously 
noted  for  its  many  fatal  encounters.  The  bull- 
ring and  the  cockpit  are  two  special  blots  upon  this 


232  AZTEC  LAND. 

otherwise  attractive  place,  —  attractive,  we  mean, 
as  compared  with  most  Mexican  towns.  Cock- 
fighting  is  the  favorite  resort  of  the  amusement 
seekers,  and  in  its  way  is  made  extremely  cruel. 
One  of  the  two  birds  pitted  against  each  other 
must  die  in  the  ring.  This  and  the  hateful  bull- 
fight were  introduced  by  the  Spanish  invaders  of 
Mexico  centuries  ago,  and  are  still  only  too  popu- 
lar all  over  the  land.  In  the  cities  one  frequently 
meets  a  native  with  a  game-cock  under  each  arm, 
and  at  some  of  the  inland  railroad  stations  they 
are  tied  in  long  rows,  each  by  its  leg,  and  out  of 
reach  of  the  others,  so  that  purchasers  can  make 
their  selection.  It  must  be  a  very  small  town  in 
Mexico  which  does  not  contain  one  or  more  cock- 
pits, not  only  as  a  Sunday  resort  for  amusement, 
but  also  as  a  medium  for  the  inveterate  gambling 
propensities  of  the  native  people. 

Here,  also,  there  is  the  usual  profusion  of  Ro- 
man Catholic  churches,  but  there  is  nothing  re- 
markable about  them.  A  couple  of  miles  west 
of  the  city  is  the  church  of  Nuestra  Senora  de  Te- 
cajic,  in  which  is  exhibited  a  "  miraculous  "  image 
which  is  held  in  great  veneration  by  the  credulous 
Indians.  It  is  a  picture  painted  on  coarse  cotton 
cloth,  and  representing  the  assumption  of  the  Vir- 
gin. This  is  an  ancient  shrine,  and  has  been  in 
existence  over  two  hundred  years. 

Near  Toluca  is  an  extinct  volcano,  the  crater  of 
which  forms  a  large  lake  of  unknown  depth,  the 
water  being  as  cold  as  ice. 

The  city  supported  several  notable  convents  pre- 
vious to  the  confiscation  of  the  church  properties, 


THE  CORAL-TREE.  233 

which  are  now  utilized  for  schools,  hospitals,  and 
public  offices.  One  educational  establishment,  the 
Institute  Literario,  is  perhaps  the  widest  known 
institution  of  learning  in  Mexico,  and  has  educated 
most  of  the  distinguished  men  of  the  country.  It 
may  be  called  the  Harvard  College  of  the  repub- 
lic. The  edifice  devoted  to  the  purpose  is  a  very 
spacious  one,  and  besides  its  various  other  depart- 
ments, it  contains  a  fine  library  and  a  museum  of 
natural  history,  together  with  a  well-arranged  gym- 
nasium. 

Toluca  has  the  best  and  largest  general  market 
which  we  saw  in  Mexico.  It  is  all  under  cover, 
and  each  article  has  its  appropriate  place  of  sale, 
meats,  fruits,  vegetables,  fish,  flowers,  pottery,  bas- 
kets, shoes,  and  sandals.  It  was  a  general  market 
day  when  we  chanced  to  be  upon  the  spot,  and 
the  throng  of  country  people  who  had  come  in  to 
the  city  to  dispose  of  their  wares  could  not  have 
numbered  less  than  a  couple  of  thousand.  Such 
a  mingling  of  colors,  of  cries,  of  commodities  !  The 
whole  populace  of  the  place  seemed  to  be  in  the 
streets. 

We  chanced  to  see  in  the  patio  of  a  private 
dwelling-house  at  Toluca  a  specimen  of  that  little 
tropical  gem,  the  coral-tree,  a  curious  and  lovely 
freak  of  vegetation,  its  small  but  graceful  stem, 
six  or  seven  feet  in  height,  being  topped  above  the 
pendent,  palm-shaped  foliage  with  a  prominent  bit 
of  vegetable  coral  of  deepest  red,  precisely  in  the 
form  of  the  Mediterranean  sea-growth  from  which 
it  takes  its  name.  A  pure  white  campanile  with 
its  inverted  hanging  flowers,  like  metallic  bells, 


234  AZTEC  LAND. 

which  it  so  much  resembles,  stood  beside  the  coral- 
tree. 

An  excursion  of  about  thirty  miles  on  the  Mex- 
ican and  Vera  Cruz  Railroad  took  us  in  sight  of 
the  two  remarkable  pyramids  erected  to  the  gods 
Tonateuh,  the  sun,  and  Meztli,  the  moon,  situated 
near  the  present  village  of  San  Juan  Teotihuacan. 
With  the  exception  of  the  pyramid  at  Cholula, 
these  are  doubtless  the  most  ancient  prehistoric 
remains  on  the  soil  of  Mexico.  That  dedicated  to 
the  moon  has  been  so  far  penetrated  as  to  discover 
a  long  gallery  with  a  couple  of  wells  situated  very 
nearly  in  the  middle  of  the  mound.  The  entrance 
to  this  is  on  the  southern  side,  at  about  two  thirds 
of  the  elevation.  What  the  purpose  of  these  pits 
could  have  been,  no  one  can  say.  There  are  still 
some  remains  on  the  pyramid  dedicated  to  the  sun 
which  indicate  that  a  temple  once  occupied  the 
spot,  which  is  said  to  have  been  destroyed  by  the 
Spaniards  nearly  four  hundred  years  ago.  Ex- 
cavations show  that  the  neighboring  ground  is 
full  of  ancient  tombs.  The  pyramid  dedicated  to 
the  sun-god  is  a  little  larger  than  the  other,  being 
about  two  hundred  feet  high  and  seven  hundred 
feet  in  length  at  the  base,  with  a  nearly  correspond- 
ing width. 

Speaking  of  Teotihuacan,  Bancroft  says  :  "  Here 
kings  and  priests  were  elected,  ordained,  and  bur- 
ied. Hither  flocked  pilgrims  from  every  direction 
to  consult  the  oracles,  to  worship  in  the  temples  of 
the  sun  and  moon,  and  to  place  sacrificial  offerings 
on  the  altars  of  their  deities.  The  sacred  city  was 
ruled  by  the  long-haired  priests  of  the  sun,  famous 


A  MINING   CENTRE.  235 

for  their  austerity  and  their  wisdom.  Through  the 
hands  of  these  priests,  as  the  Spanish  writers  tell 
us,  yearly  offerings  were  made  of  the  first  fruits  of 
the  fields  ;  and  each  year  at  harvest-time,  a  solemn 
festival  was  celebrated,  not  unattended  by  human 
sacrifice."  In  the  neighborhood  of  these  huge 
mounds  there  are  traces  of  a  large  and  substan- 
tially built  city  having  once  existed.  It  is  believed 
to  have  been  twenty  miles  in  circumference.  Ob- 
sidian knives,  arrow-heads,  stone  pestles,  and 
broken  plaster  trowels  are  often  found  just  below 
the  surface  of  the  soil.  A  large  number  of  smaller 
pyramids  stand  at  various  distances  about  the  two 
principal  ones  which  we  have  named.  These  do  not 
exceed  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  in  height,  and  are 
thought  to  have  been  dedicated  to  the  stars,  and 
also  to  have  served  as  sepulchres  for  illustrious 
men.  We  have  mounds  of  a  similar  character  and 
size  to  these  secondary  ones  in  the  Western  and 
Middle  States  of  the  Union. 

After  passing  through  several  small  cities  and 
towns,  by  taking  a  branch  road,  the  city  of  Pa- 
chuca  is  reached,  at  eighty-five  miles  from  the  city 
of  Mexico.  It  is  interesting  especially  as  being 
a  great  mining  centre  which  has  been  worked  long 
and  successfully.  It  was  in  this  place  that  the 
process  of  amalgamation  was  discovered,  and  a 
means  whereby  the  crude  ores  as  dug  from  the 
mines  are  most  readily  made  to  yield  up  the  pre- 
cious metal  which  they  contain.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered in  this  connection  that  for  more  than  two 
centuries  Mexico  has  furnished  the  world  with  its 
principal  supply  of  silver,  and  that  she  probably 


236  AZTEC  LAND. 

exports  to-day  about  two  million  dollars  worth  of 
the  precious  metal  each  month.  The  production  of 
gold  is  only  incidental,  as  it  were,  while  the  output 
of  silver  might  be  doubled.  The  ore  of  this  dis- 
trict is  almost  wholly  composed  of  blackish  silver 
sulphides.  Mr.  Frederick  A.  Ober,  who  has  writ- 
ten much  and  well  upon  Mexico  and  her  resources, 
tells  us  that  the  sum  total  coined  by  all  the  mints 
in  the  country,  so  far  as  known,  was,  up  to  1884, 
over  three  billions  of  dollars,  while  the  present  an- 
nual product  is  greater  than  the  amount  furnished 
by  all  the  mines  of  Europe. 

Pachuca  is  the  capital  of  the  State  of  Hidalgo, 
lying  on  a  plain  at  an  altitude  of  eight  thousand 
feet  and  more,  environed  by  purple  hills,  and  is 
one  of  the  oldest  mining  districts  in  the  republic, 
having  been  worked  long  before  the  Spanish  con- 
quest. It  has  a  population  of  about  twenty  thou- 
sand, nearly  half  of  whom  are  Indian  miners. 
The  surrounding  hills  are  scarred  all  over  with  the 
opening  of  mines.  In  all,  there  are  between  eighty 
and  a  hundred  of  them  grouped  near  together  at 
Pachuca.  The  streets  are  very  irregular  and  nar- 
row, the  houses  being  mostly  one  story  in  height, 
and  built  of  stone.  The  place  is  said  to  be  healthy 
as  a  residence,  though  in  a  sanitary  sense  it  is  far 
from  cleanly.  A  muddy  river  makes  its  way 
through  the  town,  the  dwellings  rising  terrace 
upon  terrace  on  either  side.  The  market-place  is 
little  more  than  a  mound  of  dirt;  cleanliness  is 
totally  neglected,  and  everything  seems  to  be  sacri- 
ficed to  the  one  purpose  of  obtaining  silver,  which 
is  the  one  occupation.  The  wages  of  the  miners 


LAVISH  MINING.  237 

are  too  often  gambled  away  or  wasted  in  liquor. 
There  are  both  English  and  American  miners  at 
work  with  fair  pecuniary  success ;  and  this  is 
almost  the  only  locality  where  foreign  miners  have 
been  introduced.  Government  supports  a  school 
here  for  teaching  practical  mining,  established  in 
an  imposing  structure  which  was  once  a  convent. 

Quite  a  colony  of  Cornish  miners  emigrated  to 
this  place  a  few  years  since,  many  of  whom  have 
acquired  considerable  means  and  have  become  in- 
fluential citizens.  Here  and  in  the  immediate  dis- 
trict, including  Real  del  Monte  to  the  northwest, 
El  Chico  to  the  north,  and  Santa  Rosa  to  the 
west,  there  are  nearly  three  hundred  silver  mines, 
all  more  or  less  valuable.  The  most  famous  is 
named  the  Trinidad,  which  has  yielded  forty  mil- 
lion dollars  to  its  owners  in  a  period  of  ten  years  ! 
Real  del  Monte  stands  at  an  elevation  of  a  little 
over  nine  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  The  coun- 
try which  surrounds  this  district  is  extremely  in- 
teresting in  point  of  scenery.  It  was  here  that  an 
English  mining  company  came  to  grief  pecunia- 
rily, under  the  name  of  the  Real  del  Monte  Mining 
Company.  At  the  organization  of  the  enterprise, 
its  shares  were  a  hundred  pounds  sterling  each ; 
but  they  sold  in  one  year  in  the  London  market 
for  sixteen  hundred  pounds  a  share  !  The  man- 
agement was  of  a  very  reckless  and  extravagant 
character.  Economy  is  certainly  more  necessary 
in  conducting  a  silver  mine  than  in  nearly  any 
other  business.  After  a  few  years,  it  was  found 
that  sixteen  million  dollars  worth  of  silver  had 
been  mined  and  realized  upon,  while  the  expenses 


238  AZTEC  LAND. 

had  amounted  to  twenty  million  dollars,  —  a  deficit 
of  four  million  dollars  in  a  brief  period.  The 
property  was  then  sold  to  a  Mexican  company  for 
a  merely  nominal  sum,  and  is  now  regularly 
worked  at  a  handsome  percentage  of  profit  upon 
the  final  cost.  Much  of  the  modern  machinery 
was  promptly  discarded,  and  the  new  managers  re- 
turned to  the  old  methods  of  milling  the  ore.  The 
Indians  who  bring  in  the  supplies  from  the  vicin- 
ity for  this  mining  town  are  typical  of  the  race  all 
over  the  country.  At  their  homes,  far  away  from 
the  city,  they  live  in  mud  cabins,  under  a  thatched 
roof,  with  the  earth  for  a  floor.  One  room  serves 
for  every  purpose,  and  is  often  shared  with  pigs 
and  poultry.  These  Indians  do  not  eat  meat  once 
a  month,  nay,  scarcely  once  a  year.  Some  wild 
fruits  are  added  to  their  humble  fare,  which  con- 
sists almost  wholly  of  tortillas,  or  cake  made  from 
maize  and  half  baked  over  charcoal.  A  rush  mat 
serves  them  for  a  bed,  a  scrape  as  an  overcoat  by 
day  and  a  blanket  at  night.  The  men  wear  a 
coarse,  unbleached  cotton  shirt  and  cotton  drawers 
reaching  to  the  knees,  leaving  legs  and  feet  bare. 
The  women  wear  a  loose  cotton  chemise  and  a  col- 
ored skirt  wrapped  about  the  loins,  the  legs,  feet, 
and  arms  being  bare.  They  supply  the  town  with 
poultry,  charcoal,  eggs,  pottery,  mats,  baskets,  and 
a  few  vegetables,  often  trotting  thirty  miles  over 
hills  and  plains  with  a  load  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds  or  more  on  their  backs,  in  order  to 
reach  the  market,  where  a  dollar,  or  perhaps  two, 
is  all  they  can  hope  to  get  for  the  two  or  three 
days'  journey. 


THE  PEONS.  239 

An  Indian  will  cheerfully  spend  four  days  in 
the  mountains  to  burn  a  small  quantity  of  char- 
coal, load  it  upon  his  back,  and  take  it  twenty- 
five  miles  to  market,  where  it  will  sell  for  half 
a  dollar  or  seventy-five  cents.  When  he  gets 
home,  he  has  earned  from  ten  to  fifteen  cents  a 
day,  and  traveled  fifty  or  sixty  miles  on  foot  to  do 
it !  If  the  poor  native  lives  anywhere  within  the 
influence  of  a  Catholic  priest,  the  probability  is 
that  the  priest  will  get  half  of  this  pittance.  There 
is  a  local  saying  here  that  "  Into  the  open  doors 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  goes  all  the  small 
change  of  Mexico."  This  is  a  sad  story,  but  it  is 
a  true  one  ;  and  it  represents  the  actual  condition 
of  a  large  class  of  the  country  people  known  as  In- 
dians. The  condition  of  our  own  Western  tribes 
of  aborigines  is,  in  comparison,  one  of  luxury. 
And  yet  these  Mexicans,  as  a  rule,  are  temperate 
and  industrious.  The  women,  though  doomed  to 
a  life  of  toil  and  hardship,  are  not  made  slaves,  nor 
beaten  by  fathers  or  husbands,  as  is  too  often  the 
case  among  our  Western  tribes. 

We  are  speaking  of  the  Aztecs  pure  and  simple, 
such  as  have  kept  their  tribal  language,  habits, 
and  customs.  They  form  nearly  two  thirds  of  the 
populace  of  the  republic,  and,  as  a  body,  are  igno- 
rant to  the  last  degree,  complete  slaves  to  supersti- 
tion of  all  sorts.  The  idolatrous  instinct  inherited 
from  their  Indian  ancestors  finds  satisfaction  in 
bowing  before  the  hosts  of  saints,  virgins,  pictures, 
and  images  generally,  which  the  Catholic  Church 
presents  for  their  adoration  ;  while  their  simplicity 
and  ignorance  permit  them  to  be  dazed  and  over- 


240  AZTEC  LAND. 

awed,  if  not  converted,  by  a  faith  which  presents 
itself  in  such  theatrical  form  as  to  captivate  both 
their  eyes  and  ears.  "  This  people  have  changed 
their  ceremonies,  but  not  their  religious  dogmas," 
says  Humboldt,  significantly. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Puehla,  the  Sacred  City.  —  General  Forey.  —  Battle-Ground.  — 
View  of  the  City.  —  Priestly  Miracles.  —  The  Cathedral.  — 
Snow-Crowned  Mountains.  —  A  Cleanly  Capital.  —  The  Plaza 
Mayor.  —  A  Typical  Picture. — The  Old  Seller  of  Rosaries.  — 
Mexican  Ladies.  —  Palm  Sunday.  —  Church  Gala  Day.  —  Ed- 
ucation. —  Confiscation  of  Church  Property.  —  A  Curious 
Arch.  —  A  Doll  Image. — Use  of  Glazed  Tiles.  —  Onyx  a 
Staple  Production.  —  Fine  Work  of  Native  Indian  Women.  — 
State  of  Puebla  full  of  Rich  Resources.  —  A  Dynamite  Bomb. 
—  The  Key  of  the  Capital. 

OUR  next  objective  point  is  Puebla,  situated 
seventy-five  miles,  more  or  less,  southeast  of  the 
city  of  Mexico.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  state  of 
the  same  name,  and  in  a  military  point  of  view  is 
the  key  to  the  national  capital.  It  has  often 
changed  hands  with  the  fortunes  of  war,  both  civil 
and  foreign,  which  have  so  long  distracted  this 
land  of  the  sun.  One  of  the  most  desperate  fights 
which  took  place  between  the  Mexicans  and  the 
French  forces  occurred  here,  the  event  being  cele- 
brated by  the  people  of  the  republic  annually  as 
a  national  festival.  Puebla  cost  the  intruders  a 
three  months'  siege  and  the  loss  of  many  lives  in 
their  ranks  before  it  yielded.  General  Forey,  the 
commander  of  the  besieging  force,  increased  as 
far  as  possible  the  difficulties  of  the  conflict,  in 
order  to  send,  with  the  customary  French  bom- 
bast, brilliant  bulletins  to  Paris,  and  thus  bind  a 


242  AZTEC  LAND. 

victor's  wreath  about  his  own  brow,  and  enable 
him  to  obtain  a  much-coveted  niarshalship.  In 
this  he  was  successful,  as  he  was  promoted  to  that 
dignity  upon  his  return  to  France.  The  fact  was 
that  an  ordinary  fighting  column  of  American  or 
English  troops  would  have  taken  the  place  in 
twenty-four  hours,  the  defense  being  totally  inade- 
quate, and  the  Mexican  soldiers  comparatively  in- 
significant. The  defenders  of  the  place  were  raw 
and  undisciplined,  and  composed  of  the  worst  pos- 
sible material.  Many  of  them  were  peons  who  had 
been  impressed  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet ;  oth- 
ers were  taken  from  the  prisons  and  put  at  once 
into  the  ranks.  As  we  have  already  stated,  this 
is  a  common  practice  in  Mexico. 

In  the  environs  of  the  town  is  what  is  called  the 
hill  of  Guadalupe,  famous  in  the  annals  of  Mexi- 
can history,  this  being  the  principal  battle-ground 
of  the  5th  of  May.  The  Mexican  forces  were  four 
thousand  strong,  defended  by  earthworks  impro- 
vised by  cutting  down  the  walls  of  the  church  of 
Guadalupe.  The  French  troops  were  six  thousand 
strong.  The  defenders  were  under  command  of 
General  Zaragoza  ;  the  French,  under  General  de 
Lorencez,  who  attacked  the  fort  with  great  dash 
and  vigor.  The  Mexicans  repulsed  them  with  heavy 
loss  to  the  attacking  party.  It  was  not  a  very 
important  battle,  but  its  moral  effect  upon  the 
Mexicans  was  excellent.  They  realized  that  they 
were  comparatively  raw  troops,  and  that  their  ene- 
mies were  trained  soldiers  of  the  much-lauded 
French  army.  Though  it  was  only  a  gallant  re- 
pulse, it  was  heralded  all  over  the  country  as  being 


PUEBLA.  243 

a  great  victory,  and  probably  had  as  much  effect 
upon  the  popular  mind  as  though  it  had  been.  It 
gave  them  courage  to  continue  their  warfare  against 
the  invaders  with  increased  determination.  Five 
years  later,  the  position  was  reversed,  when  General 
Porfirio  Diaz  —  now  President  —  took  Puebla  by 
storm  and  made  prisoners  of  its  French  defenders. 
Between  the  occurrence  of  these  battles  the  forti- 
fications on  the  hill  of  Guadalupe  had  been  erected. 
The  view  from  the  fort  is  one  of  extraordinary  in- 
terest, taking  in  three  snow-capped  mountains,  and 
affording  a  comprehensive  panorama  of  the  city 
with  its  myriad  domes  and  fine  public  buildings, 
the  tree-decked  Plaza  Mayor,  the  alameda,  the 
stone  bridge  over  the  Aloyac,  while  over  the  Cerro 
de  San  Juan  is  seen  the  church  of  Los  Remedies, 
which  crowns  the  great  earth-pyramid  of  Cholula. 
To  the  south  of  the  city  lies  the  interesting  suburb 
of  Jonaco,  and  to  the  north,  on  the  hill  of  the 
Loreto,  stands  the  fort  of  the  Cinco  de  Mayo. 

Puebla  contains  between  eighty  and  ninety  thou- 
sand inhabitants,  and  is  rated  as  the  fourth  city  of 
the  republic  in  point  of  population  and  general 
importance.  It  certainly  rivals  the  larger  cities 
in  the  character  of  its  principal  buildings,  which 
are  mostly  constructed  of  granite,  as  well  as  in 
some  other  respects.  Among  the  citizens  it  bears 
the  fanciful  name  of  La  Puebla  de  los  Angeles 
(The  City  of  the  Angels).  One  might  reasona- 
bly think  this  was  on  account  of  its  beautiful  situ- 
ation and  salubrious  climate  ;  the  veracious  chroni- 
clers tell  us  it  was  because  the  walls  of  the  grand 
cathedral  were  erected  amid  the  songs  of  angels. 


244  AZTEC  LAND. 

•"What  would  any  Roman  Catholic  institution  be  in 
Mexico  without  its  mystery  and  miracles?  In  this 
instance,  the  legend  runs  to  the  effect  that  the  an- 
gels built  as  much  each  night  upon  the  walls  of 
the  church  while  it  was  erecting  as  the  terrestrial 
workmen  did  each  day.  It  is  of  basaltic  material, 
supported  by  massive  buttresses,  and  as  a  whole 
is  surpassingly  grand.  High  up  over  the  central 
doorway  of  the  main  front  is  placed  in  carved 
stone  the  insignia  of  the  order  of  the  Golden 
Fleece.  The  interior  is  as  effective  and  elegant 
as  that  of  any  church  we  can  recall,  having  some 
fine  old  bronzes  and  valuable  paintings,  the  latter 
well  worthy  of  special  attention,  and  embracing 
some  thirty  examples.  The  woodwork  upon  the 
grand  altar  shows  an  artistic  excellence  which  is 
rarely  excelled.  The  two  organs  are  encased,  also, 
in  richly  carved  wood,  exhibiting  figures  of  angels 
blowing  trumpets.  The  interior  adornments,  as  a 
whole,  are  undoubtedly  the  finest  of  any  church 
or  cathedral  in  Mexico.  A  majority  of  writers 
consider  that  the  cathedral  of  the  national  capital 
is  the  grandest  church  on  the  continent  of  Amer- 
ica, but  with  this  we  cannot  agree ;  to  our  mind, 
the  cathedral  of  Puebla,  all  things  considered,  is 
its  superior. 

Puebla  might  be  appropriately  called  the  city  of 
churches,  for,  at  a  short  distance,  the  countless 
domes  and  steeples  looming  above  the  flat  tops  of 
the  houses  are  the  main  feature.  We  believe  that 
it  has  as  many  edifices  occupied  for  religious  pur- 
poses as  the  city  of  Mexico.  The  twin  towers  of 
its  stately  cathedral  are  especially  conspicuous  and 


THE  STABS.  245 

beautiful.  The  town  was  founded  three  hundred 
and  sixty  years  ago,  and  retains,  apparently,  more 
of  its  ancient  Spanish  character  than  most  of  its 
sister  cities.  From  any  favorably  situated  spot 
in  the  town,  for  instance  from  the  hill  of  Guada- 
lupe,  one  beholds  rising  in  the  southwest,  twenty- 
five  miles  away,  the  snowy  crown  of  the  world- 
renowned  Popocatepetl,  the  view  of  this  mountain 
being  much  superior  to  that  had  at  the  national 
capital,  while  the  two  hardly  less  famous  moun- 
tains of  Orizaba  and  Iztaccilmatl  are  also  in  sight, 
though  at  farther  distances.  The  rarefied  atmos- 
phere makes  all  these  elevations  clear  to  the  view 
with  almost  telescopic  power. 

The  nights  here  are  a  revelation  of  calmness  and 
beauty.  The  stars  are  much  brighter  than  they 
appear  to  us  in  the  dense  atmosphere  we  inhabit. 
The  North  Star  and  the  Southern  Cross  are  both 
visible,  though  only  a  portion  of  the  Dipper  is  to 
be  seen.  Within  the  points  of  the  Southern  Cross 
there  is  a  brilliant  cluster  of  stars,  which  are  not 
apparent  to  the  naked  eye,  but  which  are  made 
visible  by  the  use  of  the  telescope,  shining  like 
a  group  of  gems  in  a  choice  necklace.  How  glo- 
rious is  the  sky  on  such  nights  as  we  experienced 
at  Puebla,  so  full  of  repose  ;  no  force  can  disturb 
its  eternal  peacefulness !  Below,  all  about  us,  rages 
a  nervous  activity  ;  every  one  is  stricken  with  the 
fever  of  living;  but  we  raise  our  eyes  to  that 
broad,  blue,  star-spangled  expanse,  and  behold 
only  the  calm,  adorable  majesty  of  heaven. 

There  are  extensive  manufactories  in  Puebla, 
especially  in  cotton  goods,  leather,  soap,  hats, 


246  AZTEC  LAND. 

matches,  and  earthenware ;  indeed,  it  has  been 
called  the  Lowell  of  Mexico.  It  is  also  destined 
to  become  eventually  a  considerable  railroad  cen- 
tre, having  already  established  connections  with 
the  capital,  Vera  Cruz,  and  other  important  points. 
There  are  six  railroad  depots  in  the  city,  each  rep- 
resenting a  more  or  less  important  railway  line. 

The  stranger  is  agreeably  struck  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  Puebla  at  first  sight,  and  is  confirmed 
in  this  impression  as  he  becomes  better  acquainted 
with  its  mild  and  healthful  climate,  tempered  by 
being  more  than  seven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea 
level,  its  wide,  cleanly  streets,  running  exactly  east 
and  west,  north  and  south,  its  beautiful,  flower- 
decked  Plaza  Mayor,  its  fine  public  squares,  the 
interesting  Moorish  portales  nearly  surrounding 
the  plaza,  its  gray  old  churches,  and  its  neat  stores 
and  houses,  having  their  various-colored  fronts 
ornamented  by  iron  balconies.  The  ever-present 
contrast  between  wealth  and  poverty,  so  striking 
in  most  of  the  Mexican  cities,  did  not  seem  so 
prominent  here.  The  people  were  certainly  better 
clothed,  and  looked  more  cleanly  and  respectable. 
We  saw  very  few  beggars  in  the  streets.  The 
lame  and  the  blind  must  have  been  taken  care  of 
by  the  municipal  authorities,  for  none  were  to  be 
seen  in  public.  The  city  is  clean  in  all  its  visible 
belongings.  There  are  no  offensive  smells,  such  as 
greet  one  in  the  badly-drained  capital  of  the  re- 
public. The  thoroughfares  teem  with  a  bright, 
cheerful  population,  often  barefooted  and  in  rags, 
to  be  sure,  but  still  smiling  and  good  natured. 
True,  we  first  saw  the  town -under  favorable  aus- 


THE  CATHEDRAL.  247 

pices,  it  being  Palm  Sunday,  and  those  who  had 
them  probably  donned  holiday  costumes.  The 
Plaza  Mayor  was  radiant  with  the  brilliant  colors 
of  the  rebosas  and  serapes,  agreeably  relieved  by 
the  black  lace  mantillas  of  the  more  select  seiloras 
and  seiloritas.  Many  of  these  wore  marvelously 
high  heels,  not  infrequently  having  only  Eve's 
stockings  inside  of  their  gayly-ornamented  boots ! 
The  Indian  women  who  had  come  to  town  to  see 
the  church  ceremonials  formed  an  unconscious  but 
interesting  portion  of  the  holiday  show  in  their 
sky-blue  or  red  rebosas,  and  the  variegated  skirt 
wound  about  waists  and  hips,  leaving  the  brown 
limbs  and  bare  feet  exposed.  They  were  gath- 
ered all  about  the  square,  awaiting  their  oppor- 
tunity ;  and  as  half  a  hundred  came  pouring  down 
the  broad  steps,  others  hastened  to  take  their 
places  inside  the  church. 

The  cathedral  already  alluded  to  forms  one 
whole  side  of  the  Plaza  Mayor.  It  is  not  quite  so 
large  as  that  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  though  it  has 
the  effect  of  being  so.  Like  that,  it  stands  upon 
a  raised  platform,  built  of  dark  porphyritic  stone, 
the  surface  being  five  or  six  feet  above  the  level  of 
the  plaza.  The  principal  front  is  in  the  Doric 
style  ;  but  the  two  tall  side  towers  are  Ionic.  The 
two  domes,  covered  with  the  glittering  native  tiles, 
throw  back  the  sunlight  with  a  dazzling  mottled 
effect.  The  chapels  of  the  interior  are  perhaps  a 
little  tawdry  with  their  profuse  gilding,  and  the 
main  altar  is  dazzling  with  gold,  having  cost,  it 
is  stated,  over  a  hundred  thousand  dollars.  The 
pulpit  is  especially  curious,  and  was  carved  by  a 


248  AZTEC  LAND. 

native  artist  from  onyx,  which  came  from  a  neigh- 
boring quarry.  The  floor  is  of  marble,  while  that 
of  the  more  pretentious  edifice  at  the  city  of  Mex- 
ico is  of  wood,  a  token  indicative  of  more  impor- 
tant matters  wherein  the  Puebla  cathedral  is  supe- 
rior in  finish.  The  main  roof,  with  its  castellated 
cornice  and  many  pinnacles,  its  broken  outlines, 
and  crumbling,  gray  old  stone  sides,  is  wonderfully 
picturesque. 

Not  many  years  ago  there  hung  from  the  lofty 
ceiling  a  famous  and  most  beautiful  golden  lamp  of 
exquisite  workmanship,  the  intrinsic  value  of  which 
is  said  to  have  been  over  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars.  During  the  civil  war  it  was  ruthlessly 
broken  up  and  coined  into  doubloons  to  aid  Gen- 
eral Miramon  to  keep  the  field  while  representing 
the  church  party.  The  bells  attached  to  the  cathe- 
dral are  of  the  most  costly  character  and  of  su- 
perior excellence.  These  are  eighteen  in  number, 
the  largest  of  which  weighs  about  ten  tons.  One 
is  at  a  loss  to  understand  why  so  many  and  so  ex- 
pensive bells  are  required,  since  they  are  not 
arranged  as  chimes,  and  have  no  apparent  connec- 
tion with  each  other. 

A  typical  picture  is  recalled  which  presented 
itself  as  we  entered  for  the  first  time  the  broad 
portal  of  the  cathedral,  where  an  old,  wrinkled, 
bare-limbed  woman,  poor  and  decrepit,  sat  upon 
the  stones  at  the  entrance  of  the  church  offering 
rosaries  for  sale.  She  did  not  speak,  but  held  up 
a  cross  with  its  attachments,  accompanied  by  a 
look  so  cadaverous,  so  weak  and  pitiful,  that  she 
got  the  silver  she  desired  and  kept  her  beads.  The 


YOUTH  AND  AGE.  249 

poor  creature,  so  aged,  emaciated,  and  ragged,  had 
somehow  a  strangely  significant  look  about  her, 
suggestive  of  having  known  better  days.  It  was  a 
festal  occasion,  and  many  bright-eyed  senoritas, 
casting  stolen  glances  about  them  while  accom- 
panied by  their  duennas,  were  passing  into  the 
church.  What  a  contrast  of  youth  and  age,  be- 
tween these  fair  young  creatures  so  richly  clad,  so 
fresh  and  full  of  life,  and  the  faded,  hopeless  ven- 
der of  rosaries  resting  her  weary  limbs  on  the  flinty 
portal ! 

The  Mexican  ladies  have  none  of  the  languor  of 
their  continental  sisters,  but  are  overflowing  with 
vivacity  and  spirit.  We  remember  these  buds  of 
humanity  at  the  church  door ;  they  seemed  to  be 
"  spoiling "  for  a  chance  flirtation,  looking  out 
from  deep  black  eyes  full  of  roguishness.  Within 
the  dimly-lighted  church  the  smell  of  burning  in- 
cense, the  sharp  tinkling  of  the  bell  before  the  dis- 
tant altar,  the  responsive  kneeling  and  bowing  of 
the  worshipers,  the  dull  murmur  of  the  officiating 
priest,  the  deep,  solemn  tones  of  the  great  organ, 
—  all  combined  to  impress  themselves  upon  the 
memory,  if  not  to  challenge  an  unbeliever's  devo- 
tion. 

At  midday,  on  the  occasion  of  our  second  visit, 
the  priests  were  clad  in  the  gayest  colors,  the  robes 
of  some  being  red,  some  blue,  others  white,  and  all 
more  or  less  wrought  with  gold  and  silver  orna- 
mentation. The  attendants  and  the  priests  who 
were  not  officiating  carried  tall  palm  branches. 
The  marble  floor  of  the  nave  was  covered  with 
kneeling  devotees,  among  whom  every  class  of  the 


250  AZTEC  LAND. 

populace  was  represented  ;  rags  and  satins  were 
side  by  side,  bare  feet  and  silken  hose  were  next  to 
each  other.  Indians,  Spaniards,  and  foreign  visit- 
ors mingled  indiscriminately  ;  there  were  few  men, 
but  many  women.  The  choir  was  singing  to  an 
organ  accompaniment,  while  the  military  band 
was  playing  in  the  plaza  close  at  hand,  opposite 
the  open  church  doors,  causing  rather  an  incon- 
gruous mingling  of  sounds,  and  yet  with  the  re- 
markable surroundings  it  did  not  strike  the  ear  as 
inharmonious.  Here  and  there,  along  the  side  of 
the  church,  a  woman  was  seen  kneeling,  with  her 
lips  close  to  the  little  grating  of  the  confessional. 
Now  and  again  the  closely  wrapped  figure  of  a 
man  was  observed  making  its  way  among  the 
crowd,  with  a  dark  and  sinister  expression  upon  his 
face  betraying  his  lawless  character.  He  was  here 
prompted  by  no  devotional  impulse,  but  to  watch 
and  mark  some  intended  victim.  As  we  came  out 
of  the  cathedral,  long  lines  of  natives  were  seen, 
men,  women,  and  children,  sitting  on  the  edge  of 
the  sidewalks,  or  squatting  near  the  low  garden 
wall  of  the  church,  eating  tortillas,  while  an  earthen 
jar  of  pulque  was  occasionally  passed  among  them, 
all  drinking  from  the  same  vessel.  Another  group 
close  by  these  had  a  lighted  cigarette  which  they 
were  handing  from  one  to  another,  men  and  women 
alike,  each  taking  a  long  whiff,  which  was  swal- 
lowed to  be  slowly  emitted  at  the  nostrils.  It  was 
a  gala  day,  a  church  festival,  of  which  there  are 
something  less  than  three  hundred  and  sixty-five 
in  the  year.  These  idlers  had  nothing  to  do  and 
plenty  of  time  to  do  it  in.  Puebla  has  always 


EDUCATION.  251 

been  most  loyal  to  the  Catholic  Church,  even  when 
directly  under  the  evil  influence  of  the  Inquisition. 
It  is  visited  to-day  by  thousands  of  Roman  Catho- 
lics from  various  parts  of  the  country  at  periods 
when  church  ceremonials  are  in  progress,  because 
they  are  more  elaborately  carried  out  here  than  in 
any  other  city  of  the  republic.  Indeed,  the  place 
is  generally  known  and  spoken  of  by  Mexicans  as 
"The  Sacred  City." 

It  seemed  on  inquiry  and  from  casual  observa- 
tion that  more  attention  was  given  to  the  cause  of 
education  here  than  in  some  other  districts  we  had 
visited,  colleges  and  schools  being  maintained  by 
the  state  as  well  as  by  the  municipality,  however 
much  opposed  by  the  priestly  hierarchy.  The  fact 
is,  that  education  is  the  true  panacea  for  the  ills 
of  this  people,  and  it  is  the  only  one.  It  is  the  poor 
man's  capital.  Freedom  can  exist  only  where  popu- 
lar education  is  fostered.  The  soldier  and  the  priest 
have  been  too  long  abroad  in  Mexico.  When  the 
schoolteacher's  turn  shall  come,  then  let  tyranny 
and  bigotry  beware.  The  primer,  not  the  bayonet, 
should  be  relied  upon  to  uphold  the  liberty  of  a 
nation.  Thirty  or  forty  years  ago  illiteracy  was 
the  rule  in  Mexico  ;  but  each  year  sees  a  larger  and 
larger  percentage  of  the  population  able  to  read  and 
write.  This  evidence  of  real  progress  is  not  con- 
fined to  any  locality,  but  is  widespread  among  both 
those  of  Spanish  descent  and  the  half-castes.  The 
situation  of  the  peons  is  still  one  of  entire  mental 
darkness. 

The  episcopal  palace,  near  the  cathedral,  is  a 
picturesque  edifice,  with  its  red  roof  tiles  faced 


252  AZTEC  LAND. 

with  white.  So  late  as  1869,  the  city  contained  a 
dozen  nunneries  and  nine  or  ten  monasteries ;  but 
these  institutions  are  happily  of  the  past,  the  build- 
ings which  they  once  occupied  having  been  oc- 
cupied for  various  business  purposes,  as  hospitals, 
public  schools,  and  libraries.  When  the  confisca- 
tion of  the  enormous  wealth  of  the  church  was 
decreed  and  carried  out  by  the  government  some 
twenty  years  since,  that  organization  actually  held 
a  mortgage  on  two  thirds  of  the  real  property  of 
the  entire  country.  The  priesthood  was  completely 
despoiled  of  even  their  churches,  which  they  now 
occupy  only  on  sufferance,  the  legal  fee  in  the  same 
being  vested  in  the  government.  To  emphasize 
this  fact  one  sees  the  national  flag  waving  on 
special  occasions  over  the  cathedrals  as  well  as 
other  government  properties.  Their  other  real 
estate  has  been  sold  and  appropriated  to  various 
uses,  as  we  have  shown.  The  indefatigable  priest- 
hood are  and  have  ever  since  been  steadily  at  work 
accumulating  from  the  poor,  overtaxed,  and  super- 
stitious people  money  which  we  were  told  was 
hoarded  and  so  disposed  of  as  not  to  be  again  liable 
to  seizure  under  any  circumstances.  It  is  the  boast 
of  the  church  party  that  their  confiscated  millions 
shall  all  be  gathered  into  their  coffers  again.  They 
may  possibly  get  back  the  gold,  but  their  lost 
power  will  never  be  regained.  Intelligence  is  be- 
coming too  broadcast  in  Mexico,  and  even  the 
common  people  begin  to  think  for  themselves. 

In  the  church  of  San  Francisco,  erected  in  1667, 
there  was  pointed  out  to  us  an  arch,  supporting 
one  of  the  galleries,  so  flat  that  no  one  believed  it 


A  CHUBCH  TOY.  253 

would  stand  even  until  the  church  was  dedicated. 
So  pertinaciously  was  the  architect  badgered  and 
criticised  at  the  time  of  its  construction,  that  he 
finally  lost  faith  in  his  own  design,  and  fled  in  de- 
spair before  the  threatening  arch  was  tested.  It 
was  therefore  left  for  the  monks  to  remove  the 
supporting  framework  at  the  proper  time.  This 
they  ingeniously  did  without  any  danger  to  them- 
selves, by  setting  the  woodwork  on  fire  and  let- 
ting the  supporting  beams  slowly  burn  away  1  To 
the  wonder  of  all,  when  they  had  been  thus  re- 
moved, the  arch  stood  firmly  in  its  place,  and  there 
it  stands  to-day,  sound  and  apparently  safe,  after 
being  in  use  for  two  hundred  years,  and  having 
passed  through  the  severe  test  of  more  than  one 
slight  earthquake.  In  this  church,  which,  after 
the  cathedral,  is  the  most  interesting  in  Puebla, 
we  were  shown  by  an  old,  gray-haired  priest  the 
little-  doll  representing  the  Virgin  Mother  which 
Cortez  brought  with  him  from  Spain  to  Cuba,  and 
thence  to  Vera  Cruz,  carrying  it  through  all  of  his 
campaigns  with  apparent  religious  veneration.  It 
is  astonishing  to  see  the  reverence  with  which  this 
toy  is  regarded.  Adjoining  the  church  is  a  recon- 
structed convent  which  is  now  used  as  a  military 
hospital,  and  before  which  lounged  an  awkward 
squad  of  soldiers  belonging  to  the  regular  army. 
There  are  several  very  old  churches  in  the  city,  on 
whose  eaves  and  cornices  small  trees  and  tropical 
bushes,  which  have  planted  themselves  in  these 
exposed  places,  have  grown  to  considerable  size, 
surrounded  by  deep-green  moss,  shaded  by  the 
rounded  domes  and  lofty  towers. 


254  AZTEC  LAND. 

A  feature  of  the  town  which  is  sure  to  attract 
the  attention  of  a  stranger  is  the  fanciful  manner 
in  which  the  people  adapt  richly  colored  and 
highly  ornamented  glazed  tiles  for  both  internal 
and  external  decoration  of  public  and  private 
buildings.  The  effect  of  this  was  certainly  incon- 
gruous, not  to  say  tawdry.  There  are  eight  or  ten 
tile  factories  in  Puebla,  and  one  glass  manufac- 
tory. Some  of  the  work  turned  out  in  both  these 
lines  is  really  very  artistic  and  attractive.  Large 
quantities  are  regularly  shipped  to  various  parts 
of  the  country.  In  several  shops  collections  of 
onyx  ornaments  are  to  be  seen,  besides  handsome 
baskets  and  mats  of  colored  straw,  all  of  which 
are  of  native  workmanship.  Onyx  may  be  said  to 
be  the  rage  of  Puebla.  We  remember  an  attrac- 
tive store  solely  devoted  to  the  sale  of  this  stone, 
where  the  large  and  most  artistic  display  formed 
a  veritable  museum.  Here  members  of  our  party 
expended  considerable  sums  of  money  in  the  pur- 
chase of  pretty  mementoes  to  take  home  with  them 
as  souvenirs  of  Puebla  de  los  Angeles.  Onyx  ar- 
ticles are  shipped  from  here  in  considerable  quan- 
tities to  London  and  Paris,  where  there  are  agen- 
cies for  their  sale.  The  quarries  whence  these  fine 
specimens  come  are  fifty  miles  away  from  the  city, 
near  Mount  El  Pizarro. 

The  State  of  Puebla  is  remarkable  for  produ- 
cing a  fine  quality  of  wheat,  and  also  for  its  heavy 
yield  of  other  cereals.  One  may  look  in  vain 
elsewhere  for  better  apples,  pears,  peaches,  and 
plums  than  are  offered  in  the  public  market  of 
this  attractive  town,  all  of  which  are  grown  in 


MEXICAN  EMBROIDERY.  255 

its  immediate  vicinity.  Articles  of  embroidery 
were  offered  at  one  of  the  open  stands  in  the  mar- 
ket-place fully  equal  to  the  Fayal  product  so  well 
known  in  Boston.  The  very  low  price  demanded 
for  fine  linen  handkerchiefs  and  napkius,  repre- 
senting days  of  patient  labor  on  each,  showed  how 
cheaply  these  native  women  estimate  their  time. 
They  will  follow  the  most  intricate  design  which 
may  be  given  to  them  as  a  pattern,  reproducing  it 
with  Chinese  fidelity,  and  with  as  much  apparent 
ease  as  though  it  were  their  own  conception.  It 
seemed  to  us,  as  we  examined  this  delicate  product, 
that  art  needlework  could  hardly  go  further  as  to 
perfection  of  detail.  This  work  is  not  that  of 
dainty  fingers  and  delicate  hands,  educated  and 
taught  embroidery  in  some  convent  school,  but  the 
outcome  of  very  humble  adobe  cabins,  and  the 
instinctive  artistic  taste  of  hands  accustomed  to 
the  severe  drudgery  of  a  semi-barbarous  life.  It 
was  found  that  the  sales-people,  when  they  first 
receive  these  goods  from  the  natives,  are  obliged 
to  wash  and  bleach  them  thoroughly,  they  are  so 
begrimed,  but  they  know  very  well  how  beautifully 
the  work  will  prove  to  be  executed,  and  gladly 
purchase  it  even  in  this  soiled  condition. 

For  so  restricted  a  territory,  Puebla  contains 
a  great  aggregate  of  valuable  resources, — a  rich 
and  extensive  coal-mine  near  by  on  the  ranch  of 
Santa  Barbara,  inexhaustible  stone-quarries  on  the 
hill  of  Guadalupe,  abundant  deposits  of  kaolin 
close  at  hand  for  the  manufacture  of  porcelain 
ware,  a  sufficient  supply  of  material  for  making 
lime  to  last  a  hundred  years,  an  iron  mine  within 


256  AZTEC  LAND. 

eight  or  ten  miles  which  employs  a  large  foundry, 
running  night  and  day ;  while  the  neighboring 
foot-hills  are  covered  with  an  almost  inexhaustible 
supply  of  good  merchantable  wood.  Certainly, 
no  city  in  Mexico  is  better  situated  as  to  natural 
resources.  The  state  is  so  located  as  to  embrace 
a  great  variety  of  climate.  In  the  north  it  pro- 
duces wheat,  corn,  and  other  cereals,  also  affording 
grazing  ground  to  immense  herds  of  domestic  ani- 
mals, while  in  the  south  it  yields  liberal  crops  of 
cotton,  tobacco,  sugar,  rice,  and  a  great  variety 
of  fruits,  together  with  many  rich  and  beautiful 
cabinet  and  dye  woods.  Truly,  this  is  a  record 
which  few  localities  can  equal  in  any  zone. 

We  have  said  that  Puebla  is  the  key  to  the 
national  capital.  This  is  proven  by  the  fact  that 
the  chief  events  in  its  history  have  been  the  bat- 
tles fought  for  its  possession.  A  few  of  those 
which  most  readily  occur  to  the  memory  are  its 
capture  by  Iturbide,  August  2,  1821 ;  its  occupa- 
tion by  Scott,  May  25,  1847  ;  its  successful  de- 
fense against  the  French,  May  5,  1862 ;  its  cap- 
ture by  the  French,  May  17, 1863  ;  and  its  capture 
from  the  French,  April  2,  1867,  by  General  Diaz, 
now  President  of  the  republic. 

We  were  told  that  the  thieving  populace  of  Pue- 
bla had  so  provoked  the  agent  of  the  company  who 
own  the  road  between  Mexico  and  Vera  Cruz,  by 
abstracting  everything  they  could  lay  their  hands 
on,  whether  available  for  any  purpose  of  their  own 
or  not,  that  he  finally  resolved  to  set  a  trap  which 
should  teach  them  a  severe  lesson.  A  small  dyna- 
mite bomb  with  its  brass  screw  at  the  vent  was 


SEVERE  MEASURE.  257 

left  exposed  in  the  yard  at  night.  One  of  the 
prowling,  thieving  peons  climbed  the  wall  and 
attempted  to  abstract  the  cap,  —  not  because  he 
was  in  want  of  a  brass  cap  to  a  dynamite  bomb ; 
he  would  have  stolen  a  railroad  spike  or  an  iron 
tie  all  the  same.  He  had  n't  fooled  with  this  in- 
strument more  than  sixty  seconds  before  it  was 
discharged  in  his  hands  with  a  report  like  a  can- 
non. The  consequence  was,  that  not  enough  of 
that  would-be  thief  could  be  found  to  give  the 
body  Christian  burial !  It  was  observed  there- 
after that  peons  didn't  feel  sufficient  interest  in 
the  company's  affairs  to  climb  the  wall  which  in- 
closes the  depot,  and  meddle  with  the  articles  of 
railroad  property  lying  about  the  yard.  This  was 
a  pretty  severe  dose  of  medicine,  but  it  wrought  a 
radical  cure. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Ancient  Cholula.  —  A  Grand  Antiquity.  —  The  Cheops  of  Mex- 
ico. —  Traditions  relating  to  the  Pyramid.  —  The  Toltecs.  — 
Cholula  of  To-Day.  —  Comprehensive  View.  —  A  Modern 
Tower  of  Bahel.  —  Multiplicity  of  Ruins.  —  Cortez's  Exaggera- 
tions. —  Sacrifices  of  Human  Beings.  —  The  Hateful  Inquisi- 
tion. —  A  Wholesale  Murderous  Scheme.  —  Unreliable  Histo- 
rians. —  Spanish  Falsification.  —  Interesting  Churches.  —  Off 
the  Track.  —  Personal  Relics  of  Cortez.  —  Torturing  a  Vic- 
tim. —  Aztec  Antiquities.  —  Tlaxcala.  —  Church  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. —  Peon  Dwellings.  —  Cortez  and  the  Tlaxcalans. 

IN  leaving  Puebla  for  Cholula,  which  lies  at  a 
distance  of  only  a  couple  of  leagues  to  the  west- 
ward, we  first  pass  on  the  left  the  fine  architectu- 
ral group  formed  by  the  church  of  San  Javior  and 
Guadalupe,  with  its  attractive  cluster  of  domes, 
spires,  and  pinnacles.  Our  course  lies  through 
broad  maguey  fields  and  across  the  Atoyac  River, 
a  shallow  stream  most  of  the  year ;  but  at  times 
it  becomes  a  rushing  torrent.  The  country  here- 
abouts is  under  excellent  cultivation,  though  the 
awkward  plough  introduced  by  the  Spaniards  cen- 
turies ago  still  does  service  here.  Almost  as  soon 
as  the  city  disappears  from  view,  there  looms  in 
the  distance  the  grand  pyramid  of  Cholula,  crowned 
by  a  lofty  modern  chapel,  its  dome  of  enameled 
and  parti-colored  tiles  glistening  in  the  warm  sun- 
shine. Far  beyond  the  pyramid  the  volcanoes 
are  seen  in  their  lonely  grandeur.  Cholula  lies 


A  SACRED  CITY.  259 

upon  a  perfectly  level  plain,  broken  only  by  the 
great  artificial  mound  called  the  pyramid,  situated 
on  the  eastern  outskirt  of  the  present  city.  The 
town,  Spanish  history  tells  us,  once  contained  over 
two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants ;  but  to-day 
there  are  less  than  nine  thousand,  while  of  its  four 
hundred  reputed  temples,  scarcely  a  trace  now  re- 
mains. 

When  Cortez  made  his  advent  here  he  found 
Cholula  to  be  the  sac-red  city  of  the  Aztecs,  where 
their  main  body  of  high  priests  and  their  most 
venerated  temples  were  located.  Is  it  possible 
that  these  mud-built  cabins  represent  a  city  once 
so  grand  and  so  populous?  Can  it  be  that  these 
half-clad,  half-fed  peons  whom  we  see  about  us, 
exhibiting  only  a  benighted  intelligence,  repre- 
sent Aztecs  and  Toltecs  who  are  supposed  to  have 
possessed  a  liberal  share  of  art  and  culture ;  a 
people,  whose  astronomers  were  able  to  determine 
for  themselves  the  apparent  motion  of  the  sun  and 
the  length  of  the  solar  year ;  who  had  the  art  of 
polishing  the  hardest  of  precious  stones  ;  who  cast 
choice  and  perfect  figures  of  silver  and  gold  in  one 
piece  ;  and  who  made  delicate  filigree  ornaments 
without  solder?  These  are  achievements  belong- 
ing to  quite  a  high  state  of  civilization.  The 
cabins  consist  mostly  of  one  room,  in  which  lives  a 
whole  family,  with  the  bare  earth  for  a  floor,  the 
open  door  often  affording  the  only  light  which 
reaches  the  interior.  There  are  some  better  dwell- 
ings here,  to  be  sure  ;  but  all  are  adobe,  and  this 
brief  description  is  applicable  to  nine  tenths  of  the 
people  and  their  rude  dwellings. 


2GO  AZTEC  LAND. 

Cholula  has  one  grand  antiquity,  which  even  the 
ruthless  finger  of  Time  has  made  little  impression 
upon,  being  the  remains  of  one  of  those  remarka- 
ble earth-pyramids  which  was  probably  built  by 
the  Toltecs ;  though  how  they  could  erect  a  moun- 
tain without  beasts  of  burden  is  an  endless  puzzle. 
The  rains,  winds,  and  storms  of  ages  have  opened 
crevices  in  the  sides  of  the  artificial  hill ;  but  these 
have  only  served  to  show  what  labor  it  must  have 
cost  to  build  the  structure  in  stout  layers  of  sun- 
dried  brick,  so  substantially  that  it  has  lasted  thus 
intact  for  many  centuries.  It  is  not  at  all  unrea- 
sonable to  fix  the  date  of  its  completion  at  a  thou- 
sand years  ago.  This  peculiar  elevation  rises  a 
little  over  two  hundred  feet  above  the  plain,  and 
measures  about  a  thousand  feet  square  at  the  base, 
forming  one  of  the  most  interesting  relics  in  all 
Mexico  ;  though  its  height  is  less  than  half  that 
of  Cheops  in  Egypt,  its  base  is  twice  as  large, 
covering  about  as  many  acres  as  Boston  Common. 
In  its  composition  it  strongly  resembles  the  pyra- 
mids of  Upper  Egypt.  On  its  summit  is  a  level 
space  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  square,  the  view 
from  which  is  one  of  vast  breadth  and  beauty,  em- 
bracing the  entire  valley  of  Puebla.  The  four 
sides  of  the  huge  mound  face  the  cardinal  points, 
the  whole  being  composed  of  alternate  strata  of 
adobe  bricks  and  clay.  The  sides  are  mostly  over- 
grown with  trees  and  shrubs ;  but  a  winding  road, 
well  paved  with  stones  laid  in  broad,  deep  steps, 
leads  to  the  top.  The  constant  wear  of  centu- 
ries has  thrown  the  original  shape  somewhat  out 
of  harmony  with  the  supposed  idea ;  but  there  is 


THE  EARTH-BUILT  PYRAMID.  261 

quite  enough  extant  to  establish  the  original  de- 
sign. One  corner  has  been  excavated  to  a  con- 
•siderable  extent  to  make  room  for  the  railway,  aft 
exposure  which  has  served  a  double  purpose,  since 
it  has  proven  the  whole  elevation  to  be  artificial, 
constructed  in  layers,  and  not  a  natural  hill,  as 
some  casual  observers  have  declared  it  to  be.  The 
material  of  which  the  pyramid  is  composed  is 
earth,  sun-dried  bricks,  limestone,  and  lava.  It 
is  thought  by  some  that  besides  having  the  apex 
crowned  originally  with  a  temple  of  worship,  the 
sides  were  covered  by  adobe  houses  from  base  to 
near  the  summit,  accommodating  a  large  popu- 
lation. That  there  were  once  terraces  and  steps 
here  which  would  carry  out  such  an  idea  is  very 
clear  from  the  portions  which  have  been  laid  bare 
by  excavation. 

The  mounds  of  our  Western  and  Southwestern 
States  are  almost  the  counterpart  of  this  grand 
elevation  at  Cholula,  so  far  as  the  idea  goes,  ex- 
cept that  they  are  mere  pigmies  in  comparison. 
The  fact  is  worth  recalling  that  the  same  species 
of  domestic  implements  of  stone  which  are  found 
from  time  to  time  deeply  buried  in  portions  of 
the  United  States  are  also  exhumed  here.  So  in 
the  museum  of  the  capital  one  sees  stone  hatch- 
ets, pestles,  mortars,  and  aiTowheads  of  the  same 
shapes  that  we  have  been  accustomed  to  find  be- 
neath the  soil  of  our  Northern  States. 

The  most  casual  observer  will  be  satisfied  that 
this  pyramid  dates  long  before  the  time  of  the  Span- 
ish conquest,  and  that  it  was  not  built  by  the  race 
of  Indians  whom  Cortez  found  in  possession.  It 


262  AZTEC  LAND. 

may  represent  a  race  who  existed  even  prior  to  the 
Toltecs,  to  whom  the  Aztecs  were  indebted  for  all 
their  arts  and  refinements,  and  upon  which  it  is- 
doubted  if  they  much  improved.  No  one  can  pos- 
sibly say  how  many  centuries  are  looking  down 
upon  us  from  this  colossal  ruin.  We  are  told  of 
one  tradition,  recorded  by  a  Jesuit  priest  named 
Torquemada,  which  ascribes  the  origin  of  this 
pyramid  to  a  period  contemporary  with  that  of  the 
Tower  of  Babel,  in  the  land  of  Shinar.  The  tra- 
dition also  speaks  of  a  great  deluge,  and  says  that 
this  artificial  mound  was  originally  designed  to 
reach  the  clouds ;  but  the  gods  were  angered  by 
the  attempt,  and  dispersed  the  workmen  with  light- 
ning, after  it  had  got  to  its  present  height.  With 
mountains  close  at  hand,  so  much  loftier  than  any 
human  agency  could  achieve,  it  is  a  mystery  what' 
motive  could  have  actuated  a  people  to  rear  this 
colossal  mound  except  it  was  for  the  foundation 
of  a  temple.  The  pretended  legend  of  aboriginal 
origin  is  no  doubt  a  pure  fabrication,  like  nine 
tenths  of  the  priestly  records  relating  to  Mexico. 

The  ancient  builders  erected  a  shrine  and  sacri- 
ficial stone  on  the  summit  of  the  pyramid.  This 
idolatrous  temple  was  promptly  destroyed  by  Cor- 
tez,  and  the  place  where  it  stood  is  now  occupied 
by  a  Roman  Catholic  chapel  dedicated  to  the  Vir- 
gin of  Remedies.  The  present  edifice  is  of  quite 
modern  construction,  replacing  the  original  chapel 
erected  by  the  Spaniards,  which  was  destro}-ed  by 
fire.  It  struck  us  as  being  more  than  usually  taw- 
dry in  it  equipment.  Its  cupola  is  decidedly  out 
of  proportion  to  the  small  body  of  the  structure. 


CITY  OF  CIIOLULA,  2G3 

There  are  traditions  among  the  natives  here,  as 
is  usually  the  case  in  relation  to  all  antique  re- 
mains, telling  of  interior  galleries  and  chambers  of 
great  extent ;  but  no  confidence  is  placed  in  such 
rumors.  The  excavation  already  referred  to  laid 
bare  a  tomb  containing  two  skeletons,  with  a  cou- 
ple of  idols  in  basalt,  also  a  small  collection  of 
aboriginal  pottery.  The  sepulchre  was  square, 
with  stone  walls  supported  by  cypress  beams. 
The  discovery  of  these  two  skeletons  in  one  corner 
and  at  the  base  of  the  pyramid  does  not  indicate 
that  it  was  reared  for  the  purpose  of  a  tomb.  It 
would  require  the  discovery  of  such  a  burial  near 
the  centre  of  the  immense  mound  to  indicate  such 
a  design. 

The  hoary-headed  monarch,  Popocatepetl,  looms 
in  the  distance,  proudly  dominating  the  scene, 
with  Puebla  and  the  hill  of  Cinco  de  Mayo  on  the 
right.  The  exceeding  transparency  of  the  atmos- 
phere brings  these  distant  objects  seemingly  close 
to  the  observer,  as  though  he  was  looking  at  them 
through  a  telescope. 

The  small  city  of  Cholula  is  spread  out  at  the 
base  of  the  pyramid,  and  beyond  it  are  wide,  fer- 
tile fields  of  grain  and  alfalfa,  with  gardens  of 
semi-tropical  fruits.  One  large  orchard  seemed  to 
be  a  very  garden  of  Hesperides,  yellow  with  golden 
oranges  and  sweet  with  fragrant  blossoms.  The 
pyramid  originally  stood  near  the  centre  of  the 
town,  the  streets  radiating  from  it ;  but  the  dwell- 
ings which  once  lined  these  thoroughfares  have 
long  since  crumbled  into  dust,  leaving  standing 
only  the  useless  stone  churches,  of  which  there  are 


264:  AZTEC  LAND. 

forty  clotting  the  plain  here  and  there,  built  with- 
out regard  to  any  adjacent  population.  Two  lesser 
pyramids  are  visible  near  the  main  elevation. 
Farther  away,  small  villages,  each  with  its  church 
tower,  add  interest  to  the  scene,  while  the  mellow 
notes  of  distant  bells  mingle  and  float  upon  the 
air.  The  multiplicity  of  these  churches  shows  how 
dense  must  have  been  the  population  in  the  time 
of  Cortez,  as  it  was  the  practice  of  the  invading 
Spaniards  to  compel  the  natives  not  only  to  demol- 
ish their  own  temples,  but  to  build  a  Christian 
church  in  place  of  each  one  thus  destroyed.  A 
number  of  the  churches  are  abandoned  and  are 
gradually  going  to  decay.  "  Why,"  said  a  practi- 
cal individual  of  our  party,  "  it 's  all  churches  and 
no  town."  The  site  of  the  ancient  city  is  very  evi- 
dent from  the  lines  of  its  regular  streets  stretching 
away  in  all  directions. 

"  I  assure  your  majesty,"  wrote  Cortez  from 
Cholula  to  his  sovereign  in  Spain,  "that  I  have 
counted  from  a  mosque  or  temple  four  hundred 
mosques  and  as  many  towers,  all  of  which  were 
mosques  in  this  city."  We  have  here  an  example 
of  this  adventurer's  style  of  exaggeration  and  hy- 
perbole. If  we  take  three  hundred  and  sixty  from 
the  four  hundred  "  mosques  "  which  he  pretends  to 
have  seen,  there  will  be  forty  left,  which  is  proba- 
bly about  the  truth.  Cortez  not  only  uses  oriental 
words  to  express  himself,  but  is  exercised  by  a  truly 
oriental  extravagance  in  his  stories.  There  are  no 
"  mosques  "  in  Mexico,  nor  were  the  native  tem- 
ples anything  like  such  structures.  There  are  suf- 
ficient remains  of  Aztec  temples  left  to  show  that 


RELIGIOUS  RITES.  265 

they  were  plain  in  construction,  of  pyramidal  form, 
without  towers,  and  that  their  altars  were  erected 
on  the  summits  in  the  open  air,  surrounded  by 
broad  platforms. 

This  pyramid  was  dedicated  to  the  benevolent  god 
Quetzalcoatl,  "  the  great,  good,  and  fair  god  of  the 
Aztecs."  Yet,  it  seemed  to  have  been  considered 
necessary  to  sacrifice  human  life  to  his  god  ship  in 
a  most  sanguinary  manner,  as  was  the  practice 
at  the  great  temple  of  the  capital.  We  are  told 
that  twelve  thousand  lives  were  laid  at  the  feet 
of  Quetzalcoatl  in  a  single  year !  If  this  is  true 
(which  we  very  much  doubt),  one  would  say  that 
the  advent  of  Cortez  with  all  his  cruelty  was  a 
blessing  that  came  none  too  soon.  No  matter  how 
low  the  type  of  Christianity  which  replaced  the 
murderous  devotion  of  these  idolaters,  any  change, 
it  would  seem,  must  have  been  for  the  better.  The 
frightful  barbarity  of  the  Aztecs  is  apparently 
shown  by  the  records  of  Spanish  priests  concern- 
ing the  sacrificial  stone,  now  preserved  in  the  mu- 
seum at  the  national  capital,  upon  which  the  vic- 
tims were  bound,  their  hearts  cut  out  and  laid 
reverentially  thereon,  while  their  bodies  were  cast 
down  the  declivity  of  the  pyramid  to  the  exultant 
multitude  below,  who  cooked  and  ate  them  at  reli- 
gious banquets.  Even  the  hateful  Inquisition  was 
an  improvement  upon  this  ghastly  cannibalism 
covered  up  by  a  cloak  of  religious  rites. 

It  was  Southcy  who  expressed  the  opinion  in 
poetic  lines  that  heaven  made  blind  zeal  and  bloody 
avarice  its  ministers  of  vengeance  against  the  Aztec 

o  o 

idolaters.     Still,  the  Aztec  remains  and  is  the  gov- 


266  AZTEC  LAND. 

erning  race  in  Mexico,  while  the  Spaniards  as  a 
distinct  people  have  virtually  disappeared. 

But  we  must  take  the  record  of  these  events  with 
a  degree  of  caution.  That  fable  and  history  have 
been  indiscriminately  mingled  by  the  Spanish  au- 
thors is  plain  enough  from  the  fact  that  ridiculous 
miracles  are  constantly  recorded  by  them  as  having 
actually  occurred,  which  were  the  pure  invention 
of  the  priesthood,  designed  to  influence  and  awe 
the  ignorant  native  race.  This  reduces  us  to  the 
unfortunate  condition  of  being  obliged  to  doubt 
what  may  have  been  historically  true.  The  Inqui- 
sition exercised  a  censorship  over  everything  de- 
signed for  publication,  and  unless  it  subserved  the 
interest  of  that  fiendish  institution,  it  was  made  to 
do  so,  or  it  was  suppressed.  These  facts  caused 
Prescott  to  say  :  "  In  short,  the  elements  of  truth 
and  falsehood  became  so  blended  that  history  was 
converted  into  romance,  and  romance  received  the 
credit  due  to  history."  The  confusion  of  fact  and 
fiction  in  the  writings  of  Spanish  historians,  as  they 
are  called,  is  so  grave  and  obvious  as  simply  to 
disgust  the  honest  seeker  after  truth.  This  is  the 
case  not  only  as  relating  to  Mexico,  but  the  past 
story  of  Spain  both  at  home  and  abroad.  "  What 
is  history,"  says  the  first  Napoleon,  "  but  a  fable 
agreed  upon  ?  " 

The  horrid  pictures  of  human  sacrifice  as  rep- 
resented by  the  Spanish  chroniclers,  also  by  the 
letters  and  despatches  of  Cortez,  we  do  not  credit, 
though  undoubtedly  they  had  some  foundation  in 
truth.  It  is  the  characteristic  of  all  these  records 
to  persistently  distort  facts  so  as  to  further  the 


WANT  OF  VERACITY.  267 

purposes  of  the  writers,  and  as  to  correctness  where 
figures  are  concerned,  they  are  scarcely  ever  to  be 
relied  upon.  Though  forced  to  admit  this  want  of 
veracity,  Prescott  has  relied  almost  entirely  upon 
these  sources  for  the  material  of  his  popular  work. 
No  person  can  calmly  survey  the  field  to-day,  com- 
pare the  statements  of  the  various  authors,  and 
visit  the  country  itself,  without  seeing  clearly  how 
much  of  absurd  exaggeration  and  monstrous  fiction 
has  been  foisted  upon  the  reading  public  relative 
to  this  period  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico. 

"  These  chroniclers,"  says  Bancroft, "  were  swayed 
like  other  writers  of  their  time,  and  all  other  times, 
by  the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  by  various  religious, 
political,  and  personal  prejudices." 

"  I  lay  little  stress  upon  Spanish  testimonies," 
says  Adair,  "  for  time  and  ocular  proof  have  con- 
vinced us  of  the  labored  falsehood  of  almost  all 
their  historical  narrations." 

At  the  advent  of  the  Spaniards,  Cholula  was 
doubtless  the  commercial  centre  of  the  plain  ;  Pu- 
ebla,  the  now  large  and  thriving  capital  of  the 
state,  was  then  a  mere  hamlet  in  comparison.  It 
was  also  the  Mecca  of  the  Aztecs,  who  came  from 
far  and  near  to  bow  down  before  Quetzaleoatl. 
The  grand  public  square  or  plaza  is  still  extant 
where  Cortez  perpetrated  his  most  outrageous  act 
of  butchery,  killing,  it  is  said,  three  thousand  Cho- 
lulans  who  had  assembled  unarmed  and  in  good 
faith,  in  compliance  with  his  request.  Everything 
in  and  about  this  spacious  area  seems  strangely 
silent  and  dilapidated,  as  though  stricken  by  de- 
cay. The  present  interest  and  attraction  of  the 


268  AZTEC  LAND. 

place  exists  almost  solely  in  the  pyramid  and  the 
tragic  legends  of  its  vanished  people.  A  few  an- 
cient trees  ornament  the  neglected  plaza,  about 
which  a  score  of  weary  burros  were  seen  cropping 
the  scanty  herbage  which  springs  up  naturally  here 
and  there.  The  spot  is  said  to  exhibit  some  life  on 
market-days,  but  it  was  lonely  and  deserted  when 
we  looked  upon  it,  while  the  dry  earth  seemed  on 
fire  under  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun.  It  was  dif- 
ficult, while  looking  upon  this  gloomy  area,  to 
realize  that  the  place  was  once  conspicuous  for  its 
trade  and  manufactures,  for  its  wealth  and  splen- 
dor. The  social  and  official  life  of  Cholula  is  re- 
ported at  one  time  to  have  even  rivaled  the  court 
of  Montezuma.  Here  religious  processions,  sacri- 
fices, and  festivals  were  of  continual  occurrence, 
and  no  other  city  had  so  great  a  concourse  of 
priests  and  so  incessant  a  round  of  ceremonies. 

The  church  known  as  the  Royal  Chapel,  and 
also  as  the  Church  of  the  Seven  Naves,  situated 
at  the  northeast  corner  of  the  plaza,  was  of  con- 
siderable interest.  The  last  named  was  closed, 
undergoing  radical  repairs ;  but  our  curiosity  was 
aroused,  and  a  small  fee  soon  opened  a  side  door 
through  which  entrance  was  effected.  The  repairs 
going  on  will  greatly  change  its  original  appear- 
ance. One  could  not  but  regret  to  see  its  ancient 
and  delicate  Moorish  frescoes  ruthlessly  obliterated, 
the  colors  and  designing  of  which  so  completely 
harmonized  with  the  architecture  and  with  the 
dim  light  which  struggled  in  through  the  deep, 
small,  mullioned  windows.  This  chapel,  with  its 
sixty-four  supporting  columns,  forcibly  recalled  the 


NATIVE  POTTERY.  269 

peculiar  interior  of  the  cathedral  mosque  at  Cor- 
dova in  Spain,  which,  indeed,  must  have  suggested 
to  Cortez  so  close  though  diminutive  a  copy,  for  it 
was  built  by  his  special  orders  and  after  his  speci- 
fied plans. 

It  is  said  that  the  early  dwellers  in  this  region 
excelled  in  various  mechanical  arts,  especially  in 
the  working  of  metals  and  the  manufacture  of  cot- 
ton and  agave  cloth,  to  which  may  be  added  a 
delicate  kind  of  pottery,  rivaling  anything  of  the 
sort  belonging  to  that  period.  Examples  of  this 
pottery  are  often  exhumed  in  the  neighborhood, 
and  as  we  suspect  are  quite  as  often  manufactured 
to  order,  for  the  present  generation  of  Aztecs  is 
not  only  very  shrewd  and  cunning,  but  also  very 
able  in  imitating  all  given  models  in  earthenware. 
This  sort  of  work  forms  a  remunerative  industry 
at  the  present  time  in  Cholula.  As  we  pass  the 
open  doors  and  windows  of  the  dwelling-houses, 
cotton  goods  are  weaving  on  hand  looms  by  mem- 
bers of  the  families.  Another  local  industry  was 
observed  here,  namely,  the  manufacture  of  fire- 
works of  a  toy  character,  which  we  were  told  were 
shipped  to  all  parts  of  the  country. 

The  engine  which  had  drawn  our  train  from 
Puebla  hither,  after  doing  so,  managed  to  get  de- 
railed, and  a  Mexican  crowd  spent  hours  in  an 
ineffectual  attempt  to  get  the  iron  horse  once  more 
upon  the  track.  As  the  day  drew  to  its  close  our 
party  was  prepared  to  return  to  Puebla  ;  but  there 
was  the  engine  stubbornly  fixed  upon  the  sleepers 
of  the  track,  and  the  wheels  partially  buried  in  the 
ground.  Mexican  ingenuity  was  not  equal  to  the 


270  AZTEC  LAND. 

emergency,  so  Yankee  genius  stepped  forward. 
One  of  our  party  conversant  with  such  matters 
took  charge,  and  by  a  few  judicious  directions 
and  appliances  improvised  upon  the  spot,  he  soon 
had  the  heavy  engine  once  more  in  its  proper 
position,  and  we  started  back  to  Puebla  amid  the 
cheers  of  the  Mexicans  at  Yankee  skill  and  energy, 
which  seemed  to  them  equal  to  any  exigency. 

A  branch  railway  takes  us  from  Puebla  to  Santa 
Ana,  from  whence  ancient  Tlaxcala  is  reached  by 
tramway.  It  is  the  capital  of  the  state  bearing 
the  same  name,  and  has  some  four  or  five  thou- 
sand inhabitants  ;  it  is  credited  with  having  had 
over  over  fifty  thousand  three  centuries  ago.  Had 
it  not  been  that  civil  discord  reigned  at  the  time 
of  the  advent  of  Cortez  here,  he  could  never  have 
conquered  Montezuma ;  but  the  Tlaxcalans  were 
induced  by  cunning  diplomacy  to  join  the  Span- 
iards, and  their  united  forces  accomplished  that 
which  neither  could  have  done  single  -  handed. 
One  is  struck  by  the  diminutive  size  of  the  native 
men  and  women  at  Tlaxcala.  The  latter  are  es- 
pecially short  in  stature,  the  never  absent  baby 
lashed  to  their  backs  making  the  mothers  look  still 
shorter. 

This  place  is  remarkable  for  the  accumulation 
of  Aztec  and  Spanish  antiquities.  The  municipal 
palace,  situated  on  the  east  side  of  the  plaza,  con- 
tains four  remarkable  oil  paintings  bearing  the 
date  of  the  conquest.  Here  also  is  preserved  the 
war-worn  banner  of  Spain,  which  was  carried  by 
Cortez  from  the  time  of  his  first  landing  at  Vcra 
Cruz  throughout  all  his  triumphant  career.  The 


INTERESTING  RELIC.  271 

material  is  rich,  being  of  heavy  silk  brocade,  the 
color  a  light  maroon,  not  badly  faded  considering 
its  age.  Large  sums  of  money  have  been  offered 
for  this  ancient  and  interesting  banner,  the  object 
being  to  take  it  back  to  Spain,  from  whence  it 
came  nearly  four  hundred  years  ago ;  but  the 
Tlaxcalans  refuse  to  part  with  it  at  any  price. 
Despite  the  lapse  of  so  many  years  and  its  hav- 
ing passed  through  so  many  vicissitudes,  the  flag  is 
nearly  perfect  at  this  writing.  It  is  eight  or  nine 
feet  long  and  six  broad,  cut  in  swallow-tail  fash- 
ion. The  iron  spearhead  bears  the  monogram  of 
the  sovereigns  of  Spain,  and  the  original  staff,  now 
broken,  is  still  preserved  with  the  flag.  Plere  one 
is  also  shown  the  arms  of  Tlaxcala  illuminated  on 
parchment  and  bearing  the-signature  of  Charles  V., 
together  with  the  standard  presented  to  the  local 
chiefs  by  Cortez ;  the  robes  which  they  wore  when 
baptized,  and  a  collection  of  idols  which  have  been 
unearthed  from  time  to  time  in  this  immediate 
neighborhood,  are  also  shown  in  the  municipal  pal- 
ace. In  the  corridor  stands  the  great  treasure 
chest,  with  departments  for  silver  and  gold.  This 
was  locked  with  four  different  keys,  one  being 
held  by  each  of  four  officers  who  were  unitedly 
responsible  for  the  treasures,  the  chest  thus  requir- 
ing the  presence  of  the  four  when  there  was  occa- 
sion to  open  it. 

There  are  many  personal  relics  of  Cortez  shown 
to  the  visitors  at  the  municipal  palace ;  but  the  in- 
telligent observer,  aided  by  the  light  of  history, 
finds  it  difficult  to  accord  much  admiration  to  this 
man.  He  is  represented  to  have  been  handsome, 


272  AZTEC  LAND. 

commanding  in  person,  brave,  but  far  from  reck- 
less, and  to  have  possessed  strong  magnetic  power 
over  his  associates  and  those  whom  he  desired  to 
influence.  He  was  eloquent  and  persuasive,  exer- 
cising an  irresistible  control  over  the  half  savage 
people  whom  he  came  to  conquer.  Another  secret 
of  his  influence  with  the  authorities  at  home,  in 
Spain,  was  his  never-failing  fidelity  to  the  legiti- 
mate sovereign,  and  the  shrewd  despatch  of  rich 
presents  and  much  gold  to  his  royal  master.  We 
know  him  to  have  been  ambitious,  cruel,  heartless, 
avaricious,  and  false.  He  deserted  his  faithful 
wife  in  Spain,  a  second  in  Cuba  (whom  tradition 
accuses  him  of  murdering),  and  was  shamefully 
unfaithful  to  the  devoted  Marina,  mother  of  his 
acknowledged  son,  she  who  was  his  native  inter- 
preter, and  who  more  than  once  saved  his  life 
from  immediate  peril,  finally  guiding  his  footsteps 
to  a  victorious  consummation  of  his  most  ambitious 
designs.  Cortez  owed  more  of  his  success  to  her 
than  to  his  scanty  battalions.  If  nothing  else 
would  serve  to  stamp  his  name  with  lasting  infamy, 
the  infernal  torture  which  he  inflicted  upon  the  ill- 
fated  Guatemozin,  for  the  purpose  of  extorting 
information  as  to  the  hiding-place  of  the  imperial 
treasures,  should  do  so.  The  true  record  of  the 
life  of  Cortez  reads  more  like  romance  than  like 
the  truth.  This  is  not  perhaps  the  place  to  refer 
to  his  private  life,  which  history  admits  to  have 
been  perfidious.  Landing  on  the  continent  with 
a  band  scarcely  more  than  half  the  number  of  a 
modern  regiment,  he  prepared  to  traverse  an  un- 
known country  thronged  with  savage  tribes,  with 


AN   OLD  CHURCH.  273 

whose  character,  habits,  and  means  of  defense  he 
was  wholly  unacquainted.  We  know  that  this 
romantic  adventure  was  finally  crowned  with  suc- 
cess, though  meeting  with  various  checks  and 
stained  with  bloody  episodes,  that  prove  how  the 
threads  of  courage  and  ferocity  are  inseparably 
blended  in  the  woof  and  warp  of  Spanish  char- 
acter. 

Just  above  the  town,  on  the  hillside,  is  the 
ancient  convent  of  San  Francisco,  which  contains 
over  one  hundred  paintings  more  than  two  cen- 
turies old.  The  old  church  of  San  Francisco, 
close  at  hand,  dates  from  a  period,  three  hundred 
and  seventy  years  ago,  when  Mexican  history  often 
fades  into  fable.  The  approach  is  over  a  paved 
way,  and  through  a  road  bordered  by  a  double 
row  of  old  trees,  which  form  a  gothic  perspective 
of  greenery.  The  convent  now  serves  in  part  for 
the  purpose  of  a  military  barrack,  before  which 
stand  a  few  small  cannon  so  diminutive  as  to  have 
the  appearance  of  toys.  A  few  soldiers  lounged 
lazily  about,  and  some  were  asleep  upon  a  bench. 
Probably  they  were  doing  guard  duty  after  the 
Mexican  style.  On  the  hillside  above  the  church 
of  San  Francisco  is  a  modern  church,  and  beyond 
it  a  Campo  Santo. 

This  gray  old  church,  the  oldest  in  Mexico,  is 
certainly  very  interesting  in  its  belongings,  carry- 
ing  us  in  imagination  far  into  the  dim  past.  "  The 
earliest  and  longest  have  still  the  mastery  over 
us,"  says  George  Eliot.  This  was  the  first  church 
erected  by  the  Spaniards  in  Mexico,  and  was  in 
constant  use  by  Cortez,  who,  notwithstanding  his 


274  AZTEC  LAND. 

heartless  cruelty,  his  unscrupulous  and  murderous 
deeds,  his  gross  selfishness,  faithlessness,  and  am- 
bition, was  still  a  devout  Catholic,  never  omitting 

*  '  O 

the  most  minute  observances  of  church  ceremonies, 
and  always  accompanying  his  most  questionable 
deeds  with  the  cant  phrases  of  religion.  The  roof 
of  the  church  of  San  Francisco  is  a  curiosity  in 
itself,  being  upheld  by  elaborately  carved  cedar 
beams,  which  were  imported  from  Spain.  In  a 
side  chapel  is  preserved  the  original  pulpit  from 
which  the  Christian  religion  according  to  the  tenets 
of  the  Church  of  Rome  was  first  preached  in  the 
New  World,  and  also  the  stone  font  in  which  the 
native  Tlaxcalan  chiefs  were  baptized.  The  de- 
facing finger  of  Time  is  visible  on  all  perishable 
articles.  One  or  two  of  the  mediaeval  paintings 
were  scarcely  more  than  tattered,  drooping  can- 
vas, presenting  here  and  there  a  shadowy  human 
figure  or  a  clouded  emblem.  We  were  shown  a 
series  of  religious  vestments,  said  to  have  been 
worn  by  the  first  officiating  priests  in  this  ancient 
church ;  but  we  instantly  realized  that  they  could 
not  be  so  old,  for  such  articles  would  long  ago 
have  become  too  frail  to  hold  together,  whereas 
these  were  exposed  upon  an  open  table,  and  were 
freely  handled  by  any  one  who  chose  to  do  so. 
They  were  of  a  light,  thin  texture,  silk  and  satin, 
and  elaborately  trimmed  with  gold  and  silver  lace. 
One  is  shocked  on  observing  the  roughly  carved 
figures  of  bleeding  saints  and  martyrs,  with  cruci- 
fixion scenes  and  mangled  bodies,  suspended  from 
the  walls  of  the  church.  "  The  repulsive  and 
ghostly  images,  paintings,  and  mechanical  con- 


MEXICAN  CHUECH  ARCHITECTURE.      275 

trivances,  common  in  the  small  towns  and  villages, 
are  mostly  banished  from  the  capital  and  other 
large  cities,"  says  Hon.  John  H.  Rice,  in  "  Mexico, 
Our  Neighbor,"  "  in  obedience  to  the  demands 
of  a  more  decent  civilization.  They  are  used, 
however,  where  most  practicable  (representing  the 
crucifixion  and  diverse  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the 
church),  to  hold  in  awe  and  superstitions  thrall- 
dom  the  weak  and  untutored  minds  of  the  degen- 
erated children  of  the  republic  ;  and  so  to  extort 
from  them  the  last  dregs  of  their  poverty-stricken 
purses." 

The  prevailing  style  of  this  Tlaxcalan  church, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  churches  generally  which  we 
visited  throughout  the  country,  is  of  the  Spanish 
Renaissance.  Puebla,  Guadalajara,  and  the  city 
of  Mexico  contain  cathedrals  which  will  compare 
favorably  even  with  those  of  continental  Spain, 
where  the  most  elaborate  and  costly  religious  edi- 
fices in  the  world  are  to  be  seen  to-day.  The  plans 
of  all  these  churches  came  originally  from  Spain, 
and  builders  from  thence  superintended  their  erec- 
tion. The  parish  church  of  Tlaxcala,  situated  on 
a  street  leading  from  the  plaza,  has  a  curious  fa- 
cade of  stucco,  brick,  and  blue  glazed  tiles.  In 
this  edifice  was  seen  an  interesting  picture  repre- 
senting the  baptism  of  the  Tlaxcalan  chiefs  already 
referred  to.  This  was  an  event  which  was  of  local 
importance,  perhaps,  at  the  time,  but  which  is  with- 
out a  shadow  of  interest  to-day,  though  it  is  duly 
emphasized  and  repeated  by  the  guides.  The  dome 
of  the  church  was  destroyed  by  an  earthquake  so 
late  as  1864.  Near  this  church  are  the  ruins  of  a 


276  AZTEC  LAND. 

chapel,  the  facade  of  which  is  still  standing,  and  on 
which  are  displayed  the  royal  arms  of  Spain. 

Regarding  the  dwellings  of  the  poorer  classes 
of  this  region,  as  well  as  of  the  country  generally, 
they  are  of  the  most  miserable  character,  wanting 
in  nearly  all  the  requirements  of  health  and  com- 
fort. They  consist  of  adobe-built  cabins,  wherein 
the  people  live,  eat,  and  sleep  upon  the  bare 
ground,  without  light  or  ventilation,  except  that 
which  comes  in  through  the  open  door,  and  where 
drainage  of  any  sort  is  not  even  thought  of.  Mud 
cabins  on  the  bogs  of  Ireland  are  not  poorer  places 
to  live  in.  In  the  warmer  regions,  the  common 
people  live  in  mere  huts  of  cane,  consisting  of  a 
few  poles  covered  with  dry  plantain  leaves,  palms, 
or  cornstalks,  made  into  a  thatch  by  braiding  and 
twining  them  together.  A  mat  woven  of  dried 
husks  and  laid  upon  the  ground  forms  the  only 
bed.  Neither  chairs,  tables,  nor  benches  are  seen 
in  these  cabins,  —  they  are  unknown  luxuries.  In 
the  more  tropical  regions  of  the  country,  the  cabins 
have  no  sides,  the  thatched  roof  coming  down  to 
near  the  ground,  thus  forming  only  a  screen  from 
the  rain  during  the  season  of  the  year  when  it  falls. 
A  sort  of  instinct  causes  the  common  people  of  the 
tropics  to  seek  some  sort  of  shelter  from  the  stars 
when  they  sleep  ;  but  half  the  Indian  population 
of  Mexico  do  not  see  the  inside  even  of  an  adobe 
cabin  from  one  year's  end  to  another.  The  uni- 
versal food  depended  upon  to  support  life,  besides 
the  wild  fruits,  is  the  preparation  of  corn  called 
tortillas,  and  a  few  vegetable  roots.  The  grain  is 
pulverized  by  hand  between  twfo  stones,  made  into 


STRANGE  SORTS  OF  FOOD.  277 

a  paste  or  dough,  and  eaten  half  baked  in  thin 
cakes.  We  are,  of  course,  speaking  of  the  poor 
Indian  people,  but  they  form  probably  two  thirds 
of  the  population,  especially  in  the  rural  districts. 
These  natives  make  their  own  fermented  liquor. 
On  the  coast  it  is  what  they  call  palm  wine,  and 
rum  from  sugar-cane;  on  the  table -land,  it  is 
pulque,  from  the  maguey  plant,  —  their  delight 
and  their  curse.  After  the  maguey  has  yielded 
its  sap  to  the  last  quart,  and  begins  to  wilt,  there 
appears  in  the  stalk  a  nest  of  white  caterpillars, 
which  the  Indians  consider  to  be  a  great  luxury, 
and  which  they  eat  with  avidity,  besides  which  the 
roots  of  the  exhausted  plant  are  boiled  and  eaten, 
possessing  considerable  nutritive  properties.  The 
native  people  of  New  Zealand  exhibit  a  similar  ap- 
petite. When  the  trunks  of  the  tall  kauri  trees, 
which  have  been  uprooted  by  storms,  have  lain 
so  long  upon  the  moist  ground  that  they  begin  to 
decay,  a  large  worm  breeds  in  the  decomposing 
wood  ;  these,  when  arrived  at  maturity,  are  eagerly 
grubbed  for  and  devoured  by  the  Maoris.  Our 
ideas  of  what  constitutes  proper  food  for  human 
beings  are  governed  by  very  arbitrary  rules.  The 
Chinese  consume  dogs,  cats,  and  rats  ;  the  Jap- 
anese and  Africans  are  fond  of  monkey  flesh ;  the 
Parisians  often  eat  horse-meat  from  choice ;  while 
some  of  the  South  Sea  Islanders  have  still  an  appe- 
tite for  human  flesh.  The  London  gourmand  rev- 
els in  snails,  and  the  New  Yorker  demands  frogs 
upon  his  bill  of  fare.  Is  the  New  Zealander  so 
very  exceptional  in  his  fancy  for  wood-worms  ? 
Green  goose  and  broiled  chicken  are  among  the 


278  AZTEC  LAND. 

delicacies  of  our  table,  and  yet  there  is  scarcely 
any  sort  of  foul  garbage  which  they  will  not  con- 
sume as  food.  Why  is  their  flesh  considered  more 
delicate  than  any  other  ? 

The  better  dwellings  of  Tlaxcala  are  nearly  all 
adobe  houses,  standing  in  a  rough,  hilly  region  on 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountains  which  inclose 
the  valley.  It  is  difficult  to  conjecture  what  pos- 
sible industry  keeps  the  place  alive,  for,  though 
interesting  to  the  thoughtful  traveler  and  the  sci- 
entist, it  has  no  visible  business  activity  beyond 
the  exhibition  of  the  antiquities  to  which  we  have 
referred,  but  seems  to  smoulder  in  a  sort  of  moss- 
grown,  picturesque  decay.  The  seats  of  the  old, 
half-forgotten,  and  neglected  plaza  were  occupied 
by  groups  of  idle  natives,  who  regarded  us  with  a 
dull,  sleepy  interest.  A  few  laden  burros  passed 
through  the  streets  bearing  charcoal,  wood,  or  bags 
of  grain,  and  others  with  high  panniers  of  straw 
lashed  in  compact  form.  They  carried  their  noses 
close  to  the  ground,  picking  up  any  edible  object 
—  banana  skins,  orange  peel,  bits  of  garbage,  and 
similar  scraps.  This  small  creature  which  carries 
such  enormous  loads  seems  to  eat  anything,  no 
matter  how  little  nutriment  it  contains,  and,  strange 
to  say,  keeps  in  good  flesh.  The  single  candy 
shop  under  the  arches  beside  the  plaza  did  a  lively 
business  with  our  party  while  we  remained,  its 
members  having  suddenly  developed  a  marvelous 
appetite  for  dulces.  Bright-eyed  boys  and  girls, 
with  a  paucity  of  clothing  and  any  amount  of  good 
looks,  met  us  at  each  turn  with  hands  extended, 
and  a  cry  of  "  Centavo,  centavo !  " 


A  BESIEGING  ARMY.  279 

It  was  to  Tlaxcala  that  Cortez  and  his  small 
band  of  followers  retreated  when  the  natives  of 
the  valley  of  Mexico  rose  and  in  desperation  drove 
him  from  their  midst.  Here,  after  some  months 
devoted  to  recuperation  and  being  joined  by  rein- 
forcements from  Cuba,  he  prepared  to  lay  siege 
once  more  to  the  Aztec  capital.  Part  of  this  prep- 
aration consisted  in  building  a  number  of  small, 
flat-bottomed  boats  in  pieces,  so  that  they  could 
be  transported  over  a  mountainous  district,  and 
put  together  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Texcoco,  thus 
enabling  him  to  complete  the  investment  of  the 
water-begirt  city.  It  sounds  ludicrous  in  our  times 
to  read  of  the  force  with  which  the  invading  Span- 
iards laid  siege  to  a  nation's  capital.  His  "  army  " 
consisted  of  forty  cavalrymen,  eighty  arquebu- 
siers  and  cross-bowmen,  and  four  hundred  and 
fifty  foot-soldiers,  armed  with  swords  and  lances, 
to  which  is  to  be  added  a  train  of  nine  small  can- 
non, about  the  size  of  those  which  are  carried 
by  our  racing  yachts  of  to-day  for  the  purpose 
of  firing  salutes.  Of  course  he  had  a  crowd  of 
Tlaxcalans  with  him,  the  number  of  which  is 
variously  stated,  but  who  could  not  be  of  much 
actual  use.  More  than  one  of  these  veracious 
Spanish  historians  states  the  number  to  have  been 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand !  So  large  a 
body  of  men  would  have  been  a  hindrance,  not  a 
help,  in  the  undertaking.  Cortez  neither  had  nor 
could  he  command  a  commissariat  suitable  for 
such  an  army,  and  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  siege  lasted  for  months.  "  Whoever  has  had 
occasion  to  consult  the  ancient  chronicles  of  Spain," 


280  AZTEC  LAND. 

says  Prescott,  "  in  relation  to  its  wars  with  the 
infidels,  whether  Arab  or  American,  will  place 
little  confidence  in  numbers."  We  all  know  how 
a  French  imperial  bulletin  can  lie,  but  Spanish 
records  are  gigantic  falsifications  in  comparison. 
This  siege  lasted  for  over  six  months,  and  finally, 
on  August  13,  1521,  Cortez  entered  the  city  in 
triumph,  hoping  to  enrich  himself  with  immense 
spoils  ;  but  nearly  all  valuables,  including  those  of 
the  royal  treasury,  had  been  cast  into  the  lake  and 
thus  permanently  lost,  rather  than  permit  the 
avaricious  Spaniards  to  possess  them.  Cortez's 
final  success  of  this  invasion  caused  it  to  be  called 
a  "  holy  war,"  under  the  patronage  of  the  church ! 
Had  he  failed,  he  would  have  been  stigmatized  as 
a  filibuster. 

A  brief  visit  was  paid  to  the  palace  once  occu- 
pied by  Cortez,  and  now  the  residence  of  the  high- 
est city  official.  It  has  been  so  modernized  that 
nothing  wras  found  especially  interesting  within  the 
walls.  The  hot  sun  of  midday  made  the  shade  of 
the  ancient  trees  on  the  plaza  particularly  grateful, 
and  the  play  of  the  fountain  was  at  least  sugges- 
tive of  coolness.  Sitting  on  one  of  the  long  stone 
benches,  we  mused  as  to  the  scenes  which  must 
have  taken  place  upon  this  spot  nearly  four  hun- 
dred years  ago,  and  watched  the  tri-colored  flags 
of  Mexico  floating  gayly  over  the  two  palaces. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  swarthy,  half-clad  natives, 
regarded  curiously  and  in  silence  the  pale-faced 
visitors  to  their  quaint  old  town,  until,  by-and-by, 
we  started  on  our  return  to  Puebla  by  tramway, 
stopping  now  and  then  to  gather  some  tempting 


RURAL  POLICE.  281 

wild  flowers,  or  to  purchase  a  bit  of  native  pottery, 
which  was  so  like  old  Egyptian  patterns  that  it 
would  not  have  looked  out  of  place  in  Cairo  or 
Alexandria. 

Occasionally,  in  this  section  and  eastward,  to- 
wards Vera  Cruz,  as  we  stop  at  a  railway  station, 
a  squad  of  rural  police,  sometimes  mounted,  some- 
times on  foot,  draw  up  in  line  and  salute  the  train. 
They  are  usually  clad  in  buff  leather  uniforms, 
with  a  red  sash  about  their  waists,  but  sometimes 
are  dressed  in  homespun,  light  gray  woolen  cloth, 
covered  with  many  buttons.  They  remind  one  of 
the  Canadian  mounted  police,  who  guard  the  fron- 
tier ;  a  body  of  men  designed  to  keep  the  Indians 
in  awe,  and  to  perform  semi-military  and  police 
duty.  It  is  a  fact  that  most  of  these  men  were 
formerly  banditti,  who  find  that  occupation  under 
the  government  pays  them  much  better,  and  that 
it  is  also  safer,  since  the  present  energetic  officials 
are  in  the  habit  of  shooting  highwaymen  at  sight, 
without  regard  to  judge  or  jury. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Down  into  the  Hot  Lands.  —  Wonderful  Mountain  Scenery.  — 
Parasitic  Vines.  —  Luscious  Fruits.  —  Orchids.  —  Orizaba.  — 
State  of  Vera  Cruz.  —  The  Kodak.  —  Churches.  —  A  Native 
Artist.  —  Schools.  —  Climate.  —  Crystal  Peak  of  Orizaba.  — 
Grand  Waterfall.  —  The  American  Flag'.  —  Disappointed 
Climbers.  —  A  Night  Surprise.  —  The  French  Invasion.  —  The 
Plaza.  —  Indian  Characteristics.  —  Early  Morning  Sights.— 
Maximilian  in  Council.  —  Difficult  Engineering.  —  Wild  Flow- 
ers. —  A  Cascade.  —  Cordova.  —  The  Banana.  —  Coffee  Plan- 
tations. —  Fertile  Soil.  —  Market  Scenes. 

AFTER  returning  to  Puebla  from  Tlaxcala,  we 
take  the  cars  which  will  convey  us  eastward  from 
the  elevated  table-land  towards  the  tropical  region 
of  the  coast.  The  steep  descent  begins  just  be- 
low Boca  del  Monte  (Mouth  of  the  Mountain), 
where  the  height  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  is 
about  eight  thousand  feet,  and  the  distance  from 
Vera  Cruz  a  trifle  over  one  hundred  miles.  Here 
also  is  the  dividing  line  between  the  states  of 
Puebla  and  Vera  Cruz.  The  winding,  twisting 
road  built  along  the  rugged  mountain  -  side  is  a 
marvelous  triumph  of  the  science  of  engineering, 
presenting  obstacles  which  were  at  first  deemed  al- 
most impossible  to  be  overcome,  now  crossing  deep 
gulches  by  spider-web  trestles,  and  now  diving 
into  and  out  of  long,  dark  tunnels,  all  the  while 
descending  a  grade  so  steep  as  to  be  absolutely 
startling.  The  author  remembers  nothing  more 


BEAUTIFUL  SCENERY.  283 

remarkable  of  the  same  character,  unless  it  may  be 
portions  of  the  zigzag  railway  of  the  Blue  Moun- 
tains in  Australia,  and  some  graded  among  the 
foothills  of  the  Himalayan  range  in  India.  This 
road  leading  from  Vera  Cruz  to  the  national  cap- 
ital, a  distance  of  two  hundred  and  sixty  miles, 
ascends  seven  thousand  six  hundred  feet.  The 
scenery  all  the  while  is  so  grand  and  beautiful  as 
to  cause  the  most  timid  traveler  to  forget  his 
nervousness.  AVe  were  reminded  by  an  officer  of 
the  road  of  the  fact,  remarkable  if  it  is  true,  that 
no  fatal  accident  had  ever  occurred  upon  the  line. 
The  geological  formation  of  this  region  is  on  a 
most  gigantic  scale,  the  rocks  of  basalt  and  granite 
rising  in  fantastic  shapes,  forming  ravines  and 
pinnacles  unparalleled  for  grandeur.  Presently  we 
come  in  full  view  of  the  beautiful  valley  of  La  Joya 
(The  Gem),  revealing  its  lovely  gardens,  beau- 
tifully wooded  slopes,  and  yellow  fields  of  ripening 
grain.  By-and-by  the  lovely  vale  and  pretty  vil- 
lage of  Maltrata  is  seen,  with  its  saffron-colored 
domes  and  towers,  its  red-tiled,  moss-enameled 
roofs,  its  flower  -  bordei-ed  lanes,  and  its  squares 
of  cultivated  fields.  These  greet  the  eye  far,  far 
down  the  dizzy  depths,  two  thousand  feet,  on  our 
right,  while  on  the  left  the  mountains  rise  abruptly 
hundreds  of  feet  towards  the  sky.  The  mingled 

•/  o 

rock  and  soil  is  here  screened  by  lovely  ferns  and 
a  perfect  exposition  of  morning  glories,  fabulous  in 
size  and  dazzling  in  colors.  No  artificial  display 
could  equal  this  handiwork  of  nature,  this  exhi- 
bition of  "  April's  loveliest  coronets."  Now  and 
again  large  trees  .are  seen  on  the  line  of  the  road 


284  AZTEC  LAND. 

withering  in  the  cruel  coils  of  a  parasitic  vine, 
which  winds  itself  about  the  trunk  like  a  two-inch 
hawser,  and  slowly  strangles  the  stout,  columnar 
tree.  Finally  the  original  trunk  will  die  and  fall 
to  the  ground,  leaving  the  once  small  vine  to  grow 
and  fatten  upon  its  decay  until  it  shall  rival  in 
size  the  trunk  it  has  displaced.  This  is  a  sight 
common  in  tropical  regions,  and  often  observed  in 
the  forests  of  New  Zealand,  where  the  author  has 
seen  trees  two  and  three  feet  in  diameter  yielding 
their  lives  to  the  fatal  embrace  of  these  parasites. 

We  descend  rapidly ;  down,  down,  rushes  the 
train,  impelled  by  its  own  impetus,  approaching 
the  town  first  on  one  side,  then  on  the  other,  until 
we  stop  at  a  huge  elevated  tank,  rivaling  the 
famous  tun  of  Heidelberg  in  size,  to  water  the 
thirsty  engine.  Here,  and  at  most  of  the  stations 
along  the  route,  boys  and  girls  offer  the  travelers 
tropical  fruits  in  great  variety  at  merely  nominal 
prices,  including  large,  yellow  pineapples,  zapotas, 
mameys,  pomegranates,  citrons,  limes,  oranges,  and 
the  like.  Large,  ripe  oranges  are  sold  two  for  a 
penny.  One  timid,  half-clad,  pretty  young  girl  of 
native  blood  held  up  to  us  diffidently  a  bunch  of 
white,  fragrant  orange  blossoms  which  were  eagerly 
secured  and  enjoyed,  the  child  could  not  know 
how  much.  Other  Indians  brought  roses  and 
various  orchids,  splendidly  developed,  which  they 
sold  for  a  real  (twelve  cents)  each,  with  the  roots 
bound  up  in  broad  green  leaves.  Doyle  or  Gal- 
vin  would  charge  ten  dollars  apiece  for  such  in 
Boston.  Some  of  them  had  marvellous  scarlet 
centres,  eccentric  in  shape  but  very  beautiful.  As 


ORIZABA.  285 

to  color,  there   were   blue,  green,  scarlet,  yellow, 
and  purple  specimens  among  them. 

Still  winding  in  and  out  among  the  mountains, 
our  ears  frequently  greeted  by  the  music  of  tum- 
bling waters,  we  finally  arrive  at  Orizaba,  in  the 
State  of  Vera  Cruz.  The  capital  of  this  state  was 
formerly  Jalapa,  but  it  is  now  Orizaba,  which  is 
named  after  the  grand  old  mountain  whose  base  is 
about  twenty-five  miles  away.  The  State  of  Vera 
Cruz  contains  something  over  half  a  million  of 
inhabitants.  Few  places  in  Mexico  have  a  more 
fascinating  site,  or  are  surrounded  by  more  lovely 
scenery.  We  are  here  eighty  miles  from  Vera 
Cruz,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty  from  the  city 
of  Mexico.  Orizaba,  having  a  little  over  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants,  is  in  many  respects  the 
quaintest,  as  it  is  one  of  the  oldest,  cities  in  the 
country.  Most  of  the  dwellings  are  but  one  story 
in  height,  built  with  broad,  overhanging  eaves, 
and  are  composed  of  rubble-stone,  mortar,  sun- 
dried  brick,  and  a  variety  of  other  material ;  but 
not  including  wood.  The  low,  iron-grated  win- 
dows, so  universal  in  Spanish  towns,  are  not  want- 
ing here,  through  the  bars  of  which,  dark-eyed 
senoritas  and  laughing  children  watch  us  as  we 
pass,  often  exhibiting  pleasant  family  groups  which 
were  photographed  as  swiftly  and  as  surely  on  the 
brain  as  a  No.  2  Kodak  instrument  would  depict 
them.  Some  of  our  party,  by  the  way,  were  very 
expert  with  their  Kodaks,  and  brought  away  with 
them  illustrated  records  of  their  extended  journey 
which,  for  interest,  would  put  these  pen-and-ink 
sketches  to  utter  shame. 


286  AZTEC  LAND. 

The  pitched  roofs  of  the  low  houses  of  Orizaba 
are  covered  with  big  red  tiles,  which  afford  a  sort 
of  ventilation,  as  well  as  serving  to  throw  off  the 
heat  of  the  burning  sun,  while  the  dry  earth  seems 
to  absorb  it,  radiating  a  glimmer  of  heated  air, 
like  the  sand  dunes  of  Suez.  It  is  singular  that 
everything  should  be  so  oriental  in  appearance, 
while  it  would  be  puzzling  to  say  exactly  wherein 
lies  the  resemblance. 

That  there  are  numerous  churches  here  goes 
without  saying,  and  we  may  add  that  two  or  three 
of  them  are  quite  imposing,  while  all  are  sugges- 
tive, with  a  few  crippled  beggars  standing  like 
sentries  at  their  doors.  An  Indian  artist,  Gabriel 
Barranco,  has  contributed  oil-paintings  of  consid- 
erable merit  to  nearly  all  the  churches  in  his  na- 
tive town.  He  is  still  alive,  or  was  so  a  couple  of 
months  since,  and  is  a  most  interesting  conversa- 
tionalist, though  he  is  blind  and  decrepit.  This 
locality  seems  particularly  liable  to  earthquakes 
in  a  mild  form.  The  largest  church  here  has  had 
its  steeple  overthrown  three  times,  and  the  towers  on 
several  others  have  been  made  to  lean  by  the  same 
agency,  so  that  they  are  considerably  out  of  plumb. 
No  earthquake,  however,  is  likely  to  make  much 
headway  against  the  low  dwellings,  which  cling  to 
the  ground  like  one's  shoe  to  his  foot.  It  is  pleas- 
ant to  mention  that  several  good  schools  have  been 
established  at  Orizaba,  supported  by  the  local  gov- 
ernment. These,  we  are  told  on  good  authority, 
are  in  a  flourishing  condition  in  spite  of  all  oppo- 
sition from  the  church  party.  There  are  four 
schools  for  boys  and  three  exclusively  for  girls. 


TROPICAL  PRODUCTS.  287 

Bigotry  may  make  a  bold  show,  but  it  cannot 
prosper  where  a  system  of  free  schools  prevails. 

A  river  runs  through  the  city,  lending  a  little 
life  to  the  sleepy  old  place,  and  affording  ample 
water  power  for  six  or  eight  mills  which  manu- 
facture sugar,  cotton,  and  flour.  The  situation  is 
about  midway  between  Vera  Cruz  and  Puebla,  on 
one  of  the  two  principal  routes  from  the  former 
port  to  the  city  of  Mexico.  The  surrounding  val- 
ley is  quite  fertile,  and  is  mostly  devoted  to  the 
raising  of  coffee,  sugar,  and  tobacco.  The  climate 
is  said  to  be  very  fine  all  the  year  round,  the  aver- 
age temperature  being  74°  Fahr.  in  summer  and 
rarely  falling  below  60°  at  any  season,  though  it 
seemed  to  us,  who  had  just  come  from  the  higher 
table-land,  to  be  about  90°.  The  scenery  is  that 
of  Switzerland,  the  temperature  that  of  southern 
Italy.  It  affords  an  agreeable  medium  between 
the  heat  of  the  lower  country  towards  the  Gulf 
and  the  almost  too  rarefied  atmosphere  of  the  high 
table-lands  of  Mexico.  "  In  the  course  of  a  few 
hours,"  says  Prescott,  "  the  traveler  may  experi- 
ence every  gradation  of  climate,  embracing  torrid 
heat  and  glacial  cold,  and  pass  through  different 
zones  of  vegetation,  including  wheat  and  the  sugar- 
cane, the  ash  and  the  palm,  apples,  olives,  and 
guavas." 

In  this  vicinity  one  sees  the  orange,  lemon, 
banana,  and  almond  growing  at  their  best,  while 
the  coffee,  sugar,  and  tobacco  plantations  rival 
those  of  Cuba,  both  in  extent  and  in  the  character 
of  their  products.  While  Spanish  rulers  were  still 
masters  here,  and  when  all  manner  of  arbitrary 


288  AZTEC  LAND. 

restrictions  were  put  upon  trade,  the  cultivation 
of  tobacco  was  confined  by  law  to  the  districts 
about  Cordova  and  Orizaba.  There  is  no  such 
handicapping  of  rural  industry  now  enforced,  and 
sugar  and  tobacco,  which  are  always  sure  of  a 
ready  market  where  transportation  is  to  be  had, 
are  engaging  more  and  more  of  the  attention  of 
planters.  It  was  found  that  the  best  of  sugar- 
cane land,  that  is,  best  suited  for  a  sugar  planta- 
tion, could  be  had  here  for  from  thirty  to  forty 
dollars  per  acre ;  superior  for  the  purpose  to  that 
which  is  held  at  one  thousand  dollars  per  acre  in 
Louisiana.  Though  cotton  is  grown  in  about  half 
the  states  of  Mexico,  the  states  of  Vera  Cruz  and 
Durango  are  the  most  prolific  in  this  crop.  The 
plant  thrives  on  the  table-land  up  to  an  elevation 
of  about  five  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
Gulf,  and  according  to  Mexican  statistics  the  aver- 
age product  is  about  two  thousand  pounds  to  the 
acre,  which  is  double  the  average  quantity  pro- 
duced in  the  cotton-growing  States  of  this  Union. 
The  modes  of  cultivation  are  very  crude  and  im- 
perfect, especially  at  any  distance  from  the  large 
and  populous  centres,  but  the  amazing  fertility  of 
the  soil  insures  good  and  remunerative  returns  to 
the  farmer  or  planter  even  under  these  unfavor- 
able circumstances.  Water  is  the  great,  we  may 
say  the  only,  fertilizer  —  none  other  is  ever  used, 
and  irrigating*  facilities  are  excellent.  The  city  is 
elevated  more  than  four  thousand  feet  above  Vera 
Cruz,  but  is  also  as  much  below  the  altitude  of  the 
national  capital.  As  to  the  climate,  one  is  pre- 
pared to  agree  with  its  inhabitants,  who  declare  it 


A  FINE  CASCADE.  289 

to  be  "perfection."  The  city  is  overshadowed,  as 
it  were,  by  the  crystal  peak  of  Orizaba,  thoiigh  it 
is  some  miles  away,  rising  to  nearly  eighteen  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  sea.  It  is  probably  the  second 
loftiest  mountain  in  North  America  south  of  the 
Territory  of  Alaska,  and  exceeds  the  highest  point 
in  Europe.  Violent  eruptions  took  place  from  its 
crater  in  1545  and  1546. 

About  two  miles  east  of  Orizaba,  near  the  ham- 
let of  Jalapilla,  is  a  fine  waterfall,  known  as  the 
Cascade  Rincon  Grande ;  this  body  of  water  makes 
a  daring  plunge  of  fifty  feet  over  precipitous  rocks, 
amid  a  glorious  growth  of  tropical  vegetation.  From 
here  parties  are  made  up  to  ascend  Orizaba  (Moun- 
tain of  the  Star).  It  has  stopped  business  as  a  vol- 
cano since  the  last  date  named,  and  is  the  highest 
mountain  in  Mexico  with  the  exception  of  Popo- 
catepetl. Until  about  forty  years  ago,  the  summit 
was  considered  to  be  inaccessible  to  human  feet, 
but  a  party  of  energetic  Americans  planted  our  na- 
tional flag  on  the  summit  at  that  time,  the  tattered 
remains  of  which  were  found  to  be  still  there 
in  1851,  by  Alexander  Doignon,  an  adventurous 
Frenchman.  We  were  told  by  a  resident  of  the 
city  of  the  experience  of  an  English  party,  who 
came  up  from  Vera  Cruz  not  long  since  on  their 
way  to  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  who  made  a  stop 
at  Orizaba,  intending  to  ascend  the  famous  moun- 
tain. There  is  said  to  be  no  very  great  difficulty 
to  overcome  in  climbing  to  the  top  if  one  has  ex- 
perience in  such  work  and  is  at  the  same  time 
strong  and  well,  but  the  party  referred  to  had  just 
arrived  from  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  summit  of 


290  AZTEC  LAND. 

Orizaba  is,  as  we  have  stated,  considerably  over 
seventeen  thousand  feet  above  the  port  of  Vera 
Cruz.  This  party  of  confident  climbers  had  to 
give  it  up  after  reaching  what  is  known  as  the 
timber  line,  simply  for  want  of  the  necessary 
breathing  power.  One's  lungs  must  become  in  a 
degree  accustomed  to  the  rarefied  atmosphere  of 
the  table-land  before  attempting  to  ascend  to  such 
a  height.  Guides,  blankets,  and  two  days'  provis- 
ions should  be  taken  by  any  party  designing  to 
climb  Orizaba.  One  must  seek  a  favorable  point 
in  the  limits  of  the  town  to  see  this  elevation  to 
advantage,  because  of  the  close  intervening  hills. 
On  the  west  side  of  the  town  is  an  elevation  known 
as  El  Borrego,  where  five  thousand  Mexicans  were 
completely  routed  by  a  single  company  of  Zouaves 
during  the  ill-conceived  French  invasion.  To  be 
sure,  this  was  a  night  surprise,  wherein  the  French 
appeared  among  the  sleeping  Mexicans  and  cut 
them  down  as  fast  as  they  opened  their  eyes,  until 
the  whole  camp  took  to  flight.  The  importance 
of  military  discipline  was  never  more  clearly  de- 
monstrated. Probably  the  average  of  the  Mexican 
soldiers  were  of  nearly  as  good  material  as  the 
French,  but  the  former  were  little  better  than  a 
mob,  each  man  for  himself.  Even  to-day,  it  is 
observed,  in  the  few  military  exhibitions  given 
in  public,  that  the  rank  and  file  are  lackadaisical, 
indifferent,  undrilled,  evincing  a  want  of  nearly 
every  element  of  discipline,  while  their  officers 
lounge  along  the  avenues,  —  they  do  not  march,  — 
presenting  an  appearance  as  far  from  true  military 
bearing  as  the  greatest  clown  in  the  ranks. 


PLAZA  OF  ORIZABA.  291 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Orizaba  was  for  a 
considerable  time  the  headquarters  of  General 
Bazaiue's  army,  and  it  was  here  that  the  French 
general  finally,  in  1866,  bade  good-by  to  the  ill- 
fated  Maximilian,  whose  cause  he  deserted  by 
order  of  his  royal  master,  Napoleon  the  Little. 
Stories  are  told  by  the  residents  of  the  outrages 
committed  by  the  French  soldiers,  who  were  per- 
mitted unlimited  license  by  their  commander. 
"The  whole  army,"  said  an  aged  citizen  to  us, 
"  was  a  body  of  cutthroats.  They  stole  everything 
they  could  carry  away,  besides  which,  cruel  and 
aimless  murder  was  their  daily  diversion." 

The  small  plaza  is  a  delightful  resort,  a  wilder- 
ness of  green  with  an  ornamental  fountain  in  the 
middle,  about  which  are  stone  seats  among  flower- 
ing shrubs,  orange  and  other  fruit  trees.  Indeed, 
the  entire  surroundings  of  Orizaba  are  gardenlike 
in  fertility  and  bloom.  The  vegetation,  owing  to 
the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere  rising  from  the 
Gulf,  is  always  intensely  green.  Huge  butterflies 
flitted  in  clouds  about  the  plaza,  many-colored,  sun- 
shine-loving creatures,  with  wide-spread,  yellow 
wings  shot  with  purple  bars,  and  bearing  strongly 
contrasting  dots  of  inky-black  and  lily-white.  A 
tall  cluster  of  the  glorious  tulipan,  quite  by  itself, 
looked  like  a  tree  on  fire,  so  glowing  was  its  scarlet 
bloom. 

The  streets  of  the  town  are  in  tolerably  good 
condition,  paved  with  lava  once  vomited  from  the 
neighboring  mountain,  now  so  quiet.  The  gutters 
are  in  the  middle  of  the  thoroughfares,  and  the 
sidewalks  are  only  a  few  inches  in  width.  Carts 


292  AZTEC  LAND. 

or  wheeled  vehicles  of  any  sort  are  very  little  used, 
freight  being  carried  almost  wholly  on  the  backs 
of  burros  and  Indians.  All  vegetables,  charcoal, 
wood,  and  country  produce  come  into  town  on  the 
backs  of  sturdy,  copper-colored  natives,  men  and 
women,  and  it  is  really  astonishing  to  see  what 
loads  they  will  carry  for  long  distances  over  the 
mountain  roads  at  the  rate  of  five  or  six  miles  an 
hour.  Humboldt,  in  his  description  of  these  In- 
dians, tells  us  that  they  enjoy  one  great  physical 
advantage  which  is  undoubtedly  owing  to  the  sim- 
plicity in  which  their  ancestors  lived  for  thousands 
of  years.  He  referred  to  the  fact  that  they  are 
subject  to  hardly  any  deformity.  A  hunchbacked 
Indian  is  not  to  be  seen,  and  it  is  very  rare  to 
meet  a  maimed  or  a  lame  one.  Their  hair  does 
not  grow  gray  like  that  of  white  men,  nor  do  their 
faces  grow  wrinkled  as  they  become  old.  The  ab- 
sence of  deformity  is  also  supposed  to  be  owing  to 
their  general  mode  of  life,  simple  food,  living  in 
the  open  air,  and  temperate  habits.  Their  ivory- 
white  teeth  contrast  strongly  with  their  black  hair 
and  bronzed  features.  The  country  people  rarely 
indulge  in  pulque,  never  unless  when  they  come  to 
town,  and  they  have  too  little  money  to  throw  it 
away  in  the  purchase  of  much  of  even  that  cheap 
liquor.  It  is  said  that  its  injurious  effects  upon 
the  system  are  very  trifling  compared  to  those 
of  American  whiskey.  It  seems  to  be  little  more 
than  a  powerful  narcotic  to  those  who  drink  of  it 
freely.  The  strong  distilled  liquor  made  from  the 
roots  of  the  maguey  plant  is  quite  another  article, 
and  is  more  like  Scotch  whiskey  in  effect. 


SUNRISE  AT  ORIZABA.  293 

If  you  rise  from  your  couch  early  enough  in  the 
morning,  you  will  see  many  Indian  men  and  wo- 
men coming  in  to  market  from  the  country,  all 
bending  under  the  weight  of  provisions,  pottery, 
or  some  other  home  product.  You  will  see  the 
women  (industrious  creatures)  knitting  or  net- 
ting as  they  jog  along.  And  near  them  long  trains 
of  burros  laden  with  grain,  alfalfa,  straw,  or  wood. 
You  will  see  some  dark-eyed,  coquettish  girls  with 
inviting  bouquets  for  sale ;  also  here  and  there  a 
pretty  senora  or  senorita,  with  a  dark  lace  veil 
thrown  over  her  jet  black  hair,  hastening  to  early 
mass ;  but,  above  all,  behold  the  glorious  sun  en- 
circling the  frosty  brow  of  Orizaba  with  a  halo  of 
gold  and  silver  which  sparkles  like  diamonds  in 
the  clear,  crisp  morning  atmosphere.  How  full 
of  vivid  pictures  is  the  memory  of  these  early 
morning  hours  in  Mexico  ! 

In  a  small  village  known  as  Jalapilla,  situated 
about  a  couple  of  miles  south  of  the  city,  is  the 
spot  where  Maximilian  resided  for  a  brief  period 
after  the  French  army  had  deserted  him.  Here 
he  held  the  famous  council  as  to  whether  he  should 
abdicate  the  Mexican  throne  or  not.  He  was  more 
than  half  inclined  to  do  it.  It  was  really  the  only 
common-sense  course  which  was  left  open  to  him. 
Had  he  done  so,  he  might  have  been  living  to-day. 
Vera  Cruz  was  close  at  hand  and  easily  reached, 
a  French  steamship  lay  off  San  Juan  d'Ulloa  ready 
to  take  him  across  the  sea,  but  there  were  three 
causes  working  against  his  abdication.  First,  his 
own  pride  ;  second,  the  pressure  of  the  church 
party ;  and,  last  but  not  least,  the  confident  coun- 


294  AZTEC  LAND. 

sels  of  Carlotta.  These  influences  prevailed,  and 
decided  him  to  remain.  He  thus  challenged  the 
inevitable  fate  which  ended  his  career  at  Quere- 
taro.  That  two  generals  who  were  on  his  personal 
staff  believed  in  his  star  and  were  wedded  to  his 
service  under  all  circumstances,  was  fully  proven 
in  the  fact  that  they  made  no  attempt  to  escape,  but 
calmly  and  devotedly  died  by  his  side  when  the 
crisis  finally  came. 

The  railroad  station  at  Orizaba  adjoined  a  neat 
inclosure,  which  is  a  small  floral  paradise,  exhibit- 
ing very  clearly  a  woman's  taste  in  the  arrange- 
ment and  cultivation.  Roses  white  and  red,  lilies 
tall  and  pearl-colored,  the  scarlet  hibiscus,  tube- 
roses, orange-trees,  coffee-trees  full  of  berries,  all 
are  to  be  seen  here,  with  a  few  bananas  waving 
their  long,  broad  green  leaves,  like  pennons,  over 
the  undergrowth,  and  showing  their  one  pendulous 
blossom  as  large  as  a  pineapple. 

The  descent  from  the  high  elevation  of  Orizaba 
is  continued,  the  route  leading  through  groves  of 
bananas,  maize  and  sugar  plantations,  and  creep- 
ing down  the  steep  sides  of  a  terrific  gorge  over  a 
thousand  feet  deep,  where  the  purple  shadows  look 
like  shrouded  phantoms  hastening  out  of  sight. 
This  abyss  is  crossed  by  means  of  extraordinary 
engineering  skill,  much  of  the  roadway  along  the 
nearly  perpendicular  side  of  the  ravine  having 
been  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock.  To  accomplish 
this  it  was  necessary  at  first  to  suspend  workmen 
by  ropes  over  the  brow  of  the  cliffs,  lowering  them 
down  until  they  were  opposite  the  point  to  be  op- 
erated upon,  and,  after  making  fast  the  ropes  which 


A  DANGEROUS  POINT.  295 

held  them,  leave  them  there  to  work  for  hours  with 
hammer  and  chisel.  There  was  one  piece  of  road- 
bed, not  more  than  ten  rods  in  length,  where  the 
track  seemed  to  run  on  a  narrow  shelf  barely  wide 
enough  for  the  cars  to  pass,  which  is  said  to  have 
required  seven  years  to  render  available.  We  can 
well  conceive  it  to  have  been  so,  for  the  whole 
road  from  Vera  Cruz  to  Mexico  was  about  five 
times  seven  years  in  building.  The  view  is  at  times 
such  as  to  incline  the  experienced  traveler  to  hold 
his  breath,  if  not  to  close  his  eyes,  in  a  tremor  of 
excitement.  In  the  steepest  part  of  the  route 
the  descent  is  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  thirty- 
three  and  one  third  feet  to  the  mile!  Were  a 
wheel  to  break,  an  iron  nut  to  give  way,  or  the 
trusted  brakes  fail  to  operate,  what  a  frightful 
catastrophe  would  instantly  follow  ! 

Between  Orizaba  and  Cordova,  a  few  rods  off 
the  line  of  the  railway  to  the  left  as  we  go  from 
the  former  to  the  latter  place,  is  a  dark,  cavernous 
passage  cut  through  the  hillside  a  hundred  feet  or 
more,  leading  to  the  view  of  a  waterfall  of  great 
beauty  and  of  considerable  size.  It  is  closely 
framed  on  all  sides  by  dark  green  foliage,  tall  and 
graceful  trees  partially  overhanging  it.  Dainty 
orchids  and  beautiful  ferns  hang  upon  the  damp 
rocks  and  the  brown  tree-trunks.  Here  the  cars 
stop  for  a  brief  period,  to  enable  us  to  delight  our 
eyes  and  ears  by  the  sight  and  sound  of  the  riotous 
waters.  A  waterfall  or  cascade  in  this  climate  is 
enhanced  in  importance  for  many  reasons ;  the 
very  sight  of  rushing,  foaming  water  has  a  cooling 
and  refreshing  effect  when  the  thermometer  is  at 


296  AZTEC  LAND. 

90°  Fahr.  The  rank,  tropical  verdure,  the  depth 
of  the  sombre  gorge,  the  tumultuous,  sparkling 
waters,  the  cool,  welcome  shade,  and  the  ceaseless 
anthem  of  the  falls  make  the  charming  spot  a 
scene  long  to  be  remembered.  One  would  have 
liked  to  linger  there  for  hours.  Finally,  after  hav- 
ing passed  over  a  distance  of  nearly  twenty  miles, 
we  cross  the  bridge  of  Metlac,  built  over  a  river  of 
the  same  name,  and  arrive  in  sight  of  Cordova, 
whose  domes  and  towers  are  just  far  enough  away 
to  clothe  them  in  a  soft,  inviting,  amber  hue. 

Cordova  is  situated  in  the  fertile  valley  of  the 
Rio  Seco,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  sugar  and  coffee 
producing  district  about  seventy  miles  west  of  Vera 
Cruz,  nearly  upon  the  direct  line  between  the  Gulf 
and  the  city  of  Mexico.  To  be  exact,  it  is  sixty- 
six  miles  from  the  former  city  and  two  hundred 
from  the  latter.  Speaking  of  coffee,  the  region 
wherein  it  thrives  and  is  remuneratively  productive 
is  very  large  in  Mexico.  It  grows  down  to  the 
coast  and  far  up  into  the  table-lands,  but  it  does 
best  in  an  altitude  of  from  one  to  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  In  this  region,  as 
we  have  already  indicated,  a  berry  is  produced 
which  we  consider  equal  to  the  product  of  any  land. 
Under  proper  conditions  the  republic  could  furnish 
the  whole  of  this  country  with  the  raw  material 
wherewith  to  produce  the  favorite  beverage,  enor- 
mous as  is  the  consumption.  The  bananas  of  this 
region  were  found  to  be  especially  luscious  and  ap- 
petizing. In  growth  this  a  beautiful,  thrifty,  and 
productive  annual,  forming  a  large  portion  of  the 
food  supply  of  the  humbler  classes,  and  a  favorite 


THE  BANANA.  297 

dessert  at  the  tables  of  the  rich.  From  the  centre 
of  its  large,  broad,  palm-like  leaves,  which  gather 
at  the  top  of  the  thick  stalk,  twelve  or  fifteen  inches 
in  diameter,  when  it  has  reached  a  height  of  about 
ten  feet,  there  springs  forth  a  large  purple  bud, 
eight  or  nine  inches  long,  shaped  like  a  huge  acorn, 
but  a  little  more  pointed.  This  cone  hangs  sus- 
pended from  a  strong  stem  upon  which  a  leaf  un- 
folds, displaying  a  cluster  of  young  fruit.  As  soon 
as  these  have  become  fairly  set,  this  sheltering  leaf 
drops  off  and  another  unfolds,  exposing  its  little 
brood  of  young  fruit,  and  the  process  goes  on  until 
eight  or  ten  rings  of  small  bananas  are  started, 
forming  bunches,  when  ready  to  pick,  of  from  sev- 
enty-five to  a  hundred  of  the  finger-like  product. 
After  bearing,  the  stalk  and  top  die,  but  it  sprouts 
up  again  from  the  roots,  once  more  to  go  through 
the  liberal  process  of  producing  a  crop  of  luscious 
fruit.  It  is  said  that  the  banana  is  more  produc- 
tive and  requires  less  care  or  cultivation  than  any 
other  food-producing  growth  in  the  tropics  or  else- 
where. 

Neither  Florida  nor  Cuba  can  furnish  finer 
oranges  than  are  grown  in  vast  quantities  in  the 
region  round  about  Cordova.  Peddlers  offer  them 
by  the  basketful  to  passing  travelers,  ripe  and 
delicious,  two  for  a  penny  ;  also,  mangoes,  bananas, 
pine-apples,  and  other  tropical  fruits,  at  equally 
low  prices.  Great  quantities  are  shipped  to  other 
cities  by  rail,  and  passengers  carry  away  hundreds 
in  baskets  daily.  Coffee  and  sugar  are,  however, 
the  staple  products.  Among  the  neighboring  plant- 
ers, as  we  were  told,  are  a  few  enterprising  Amer- 


298  AZTEC  LAND. 

icans,  who  have  lately  introduced  more  modern 
facilities  than  have  been  in  use  heretofore  for 
planting,  cultivating,  packing,  and  the  like.  A 
coffee  plantation  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing  trop- 
ical sights  the  eye  can  rest  upon,  where  twenty-five 
or  thirty  acres  of  level  soil  are  planted  thickly  with 
the  deep  green  shrub,  divided  into  straight  lines, 
which  obtains  the  needed  shade  from  graceful 
palms,  interspersed  with  bananas,  orange  and 
mango  trees.  Coffee  will  not  thrive  without  partial 
protection  from  the  ardor  of  the  sun  in  the  low  lat- 
itudes, and  therefore  a  certain  number  of  shade 
and  fruit  trees  are  introduced  among  the  low-grow- 
ing plants.  The  shrub  is  kept  trimmed  down  to 
a  certain  height,  thus  throwing  all  the  vigor  of  the 
roots  into  the  formation  of  berries  upon  the 
branches  which  are  not  disturbed.  So  prolific  is 
the  low-growing  tree  thus  treated  that  the  small 
branches  bend  nearly  to  the  ground  under  the 
weight  of  the  ripening  berries.  Conceive  of  such 
an  arrangement  when  the  whole  is  in  flower,  the 
milk-white  blossoms  of  the  coffee  so  abundant  as 
to  seem  as  though  a  cloud  of  snow  had  fallen 
there  and  left  the  rest  of  the  vegetation  in  full  ver- 
dure, while  the  air  is  as  heavy  with  perfume  as  in 
an  orange  grove. 

The  soil  between  here  and  Orizaba  is  considered 
to  be  of  the  richest  and  most  fertile  in  all  Mexico. 
Plantations  devoted  to  the  raising  of  cinchona  have 
proved  quite  profitable.  Four  times  each  year 
may  the  sower  reap  his  harvest  amid  perpetual 
summer.  We  saw  some  fine  groves  of  the  plan- 
tain, the  trees  twelve  feet  high  and  the  leaves  six 


CORDOVA.  299 

feet  long  by  two  in  width.  This,  together  with 
the  banana,  forms  the  chief  feature  as  regards  the 
low-growing  foliage  in  all  the  tropical  regions 
about  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  gracefully  fanning  the 
undergrowth  with  broad-spread  leaves,  and  afford- 
ing the  needed  shade.  The  stem  of  the  plantain 
gradually  decays,  like  the  banana,  when  the  fruit 
has  ripened,  after  which  the  young  shoots  spring 
up  from  the  roots  once  more  to  produce  the  abun- 
dant and  nourishing  food.  It  does  not  seem  to 
have  any  special  season,  but  is  constantly  in  bloom 
and  bearing.  The  accumulation  of  sugar  and 
starch  in  the  fruit  makes  it  a  most  valuable  source 
of  food  in  the  tropics,  while  the  product  from  a 
small  area  of  land  is  enormous  when  compared 
with  that  of  cultivated  grains  and  fruits  generally. 

The  cacao,  the  source  from  whence  our  choco- 
late comes,  was  originally  found  in  Mexico,  where 
its  seeds  once  formed  the  money,  or  circulating 
medium,  of  the  aboriginal  tribes.  It  grows  here 
in  abundance  and  to  great  perfection. 

Cordova  has  between  six  and  eight  thousand 
inhabitants.  It  is  nearly  three  thousand  feet 
above  sea  level,  and  is  rarely  troubled  with  yellow 
fever ;  but  ague  is  common.  The  streets  are  very 
regular  and  are  all  paved.  On  one  side  of  the 
plaza  is  the  cathedral,  a  grand  edifice  with  a  gau- 
dily-finished interior.  The  central  plaza,  though 
small,  is  exquisitely  kept,  full  of  flowers,  and  vivid 
with  the  large  scarlet  tulipan.  The  ground  is  well- 
filled  with  fruit-trees  and  palms,  interspersed  with 
smooth  paths,  and  furnished  with  ornamental  iron 
seats.  On  the  outside  of  the  plaza  is  the  market, 


300  AZTEC  LAND. 

where  rows  of  country-women  sit  on  their  haunches 
in  true  Asiatic  fashion,  beside  their  articles  for 
sale.  This  class  of  women  here  affect  high  colors 
in  their  rude  costumes,  wearing  a  profusion  of 
cheap  coral  and  silver  ornaments,  besides  a  pecu- 
liar headdress,  more  Neapolitan  than  Mexican. 
It  is  quite  the  thing  in  speaking  of  Cordova  to  re- 
member that  it  was  here,  in  1821,  that  the  treaty 
was  signed  between  Iturbide  and  O'Donoju,  which 
officially  recognized  the  independence  of  Mexico. 
The  vicinity  of  the  town  abounds  in  antique 
remains.  An  organized  party  was  engaged  in 
exhuming  old  pottery  and  other  domestic  utensils 
at  the  time  of  our  visit. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  City  of  Vera  Cruz.  —  Defective  Harbor.  —  The  Dreaded  and 
also  Welcome  Norther.  —  San  Juan  d'Ulloa.  —  Landing  of 
Cortex.  —  His  Expedition  Piratical.  —  View  of  the  City  from 
the  Sea.  —  Cortez's  Destruction  of  his  Ships.  —  Anecdote  of 
Charles  V.  —  A  Sickly  Capital.  —  Street  Scenes.  —  Trade.  — 
The  Mantilla.  —  Plaza  de  la  Constitucion.  —  Typical  Charac- 
ters. —  Brilliant  Fireflies.  —  Well-To-Do  Beggars.  —  Princi- 
pal Edifices.  —  The  Campo  Santo.  —  City  Dwelling-Houses. 
—  The  Dark-Plumed  Buzzards.  —  A  City  Fountain.  —  A  Va- 
ried History.  —  Medillin.  —  State  of  Vera  Cruz. 

VERA  CRUZ,  which  is  at  present  the  principal 
seaport  of  the  republic,  and  which  has  heretofore 
been  considered  as  the  gateway  of  Mexico,  is  with- 
out a  harbor  worthy  of  the  name,  being  situated 
on  an  open  roadstead  and  affording  no  safe  anchor- 
age among  its  shoals,  coral  reefs,  and  surf.  It  is 
not  safe,  in  fact,  for  vessels  to  moor  within  half  a 
mile  of  the  shore.  A  cluster  of  dangerous,  merci- 
less-looking reefs,  together  with  the  island  of  San 
Juan  d'Ulloa,  form  a  slight  protection  from  the 
open  Gulf.  A  sea-wall  shelters  the  street  facing 
upon  the  water,  and  there  is  a  serviceable  mole 
where  boats  land  from  the  shipping  when  a 
"  norther  "  is  not  blowing  ;  but  when  that  prevails 
no  one  attempts  to  land  from  vessels  in  the  road- 
stead. No  wonder  that  underwriters  charge  dou- 
ble to  insure  vessels  bound  to  so  inhospitable  a 
shore.  Even  in  ordinary  weather  a  surf-drenching 


302  AZTEC  LAND. 

has  sometimes  to  be  endured  in  landing  at  the 
mole.  This  is  a  serious  objection  to  the  port 
where  every  ton  of  freight  must  be  transferred  be- 
tween ship  and  shore  by  lighters.  Nevertheless, 
this  difficulty  might  be  easily  overcome  by  the  con- 
struction of  a  substantial  breakwater,  such  as  has 
lately  been  successfully  built  at  Colombo,  Ceylon, 
or  that  which  has  robbed  the  roadstead  of  Madras, 
India,  of  its  former  terrors.  To  be  sure,  such  a 
plan  requires  enterprise  and  the  liberal  expendi- 
ture of  money.  Unless  the  citizens  open  their 
purses  and  pay  for  the  needed  improvement,  which 
would  promptly  turn  their  exposed  shore  into  a 
safe  harbor,  they  will  have  to  submit  to  seeing  the 
present  commerce  of  the  port  diverted  to  Tampico, 
where  suitable  engineering  is  about  to  secure  an 
excellent  harbor.  Improvements  are  of  slow 
growth  in  this  country.  The  railway  between  this 
city  and  the  national  capital  was  over  thirty  years 
in  building,  and  cost  fully  forty  million  dollars. 

The  captain  of  a  freighting  steamer  sailing  out 
of  New  York  told  the  writer  that  he  had  more 
than  once  been  obliged,  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  to  sail  from  Vera  Cruz  carrying  back  to  his 
port  of  departure  a  portion  of  his  cargo,  as  there 
was  no  time  while  the  ship  remained  here  that  he 
dared  to  risk  the  landing  of  valuable  goods  liable 
to  be  spoiled  by  exposure  to  a  high-running  sea. 

When  a  norther  comes  on  to  blow  at  Vera  Cruz, 
all  the  vessels  remaining  near  the  city  let  go  an 
extra  anchor  and  batten  down  the  hatches ;  or, 
wiser  still,  they  let  go  their  ground  tackle  and 
hasten  to  make  an  offing.  The  natives  promptly 


NORTIIEBS.  303 

haul  their  light  boats  well  on  shore ;  the  citizens 
securely  close  their  doors  and  windows;  while  the 
sky  becomes  darkened  by  clouds  of  sand  driven  by 
fierce  gusts  of  wind.  It  is  a  fact  that  passengers 
have  been  obliged  to  remain  for  a  whole  week  upon 
a  European  steamer,  unable  to  land  during  a 
protracted  norther.  These  storms  are  terrific  in 
violence.  It  is  not  a  straight  out-and-out  gale,  an 
honest  tempest,  such  as  one  sometimes  meets  at 
sea,  and  with  which  an  experienced  mariner  knows 
how  to  cope.  A  norther  is  an  erratic  succession 
of  furious  squalls  with  whirlwinds  of  sand,  the 
wind  blowing  from  several  points  at  the  same 
time.  When  a  norther  blows,  work  is  suspended 
in  the  city,  and  the  streets  are  deserted  until  the 
fury  of  the  blast  has  subsided.  This  wind,  how- 
ever, like  most  other  serious  annoyances  in  life, 
has  its  bright  side.  Very  true  is  the  saying :  "  It 's 
an  ill  wind  that  blows  nobody  good."  The  norther 
drives  away  that  fatal  enemy  of  the  city,  the  yel- 
low fever  ;  and  when  it  fairly  sets  in  to  blow,  that 
surely  ends  the  disease  for  the  season ;  its  germs 
are  swept  away  as  if  by  magic.  The  insect  plague 
is  only  second  to  that  of  the  vomito  as  regards  the 
danger  and  discomfort  to  be  encountered  in  this 
"  City  of  the  True  Cross."  But  even  mosquitoes 
succumb  to  the  northers.  The  muslin  bars  which 
surround  the  beds  of  the  Hotel  Diligencia,  front- 
ing the  plaza,  are  effectual,  so  that  one  can  gener- 
ally sleep  during  the  two  or  three  nights  that  he  is 
likely  to  stay  in  the  city.  A  longer  sojourn  is 
simply  inviting  disease,  besides  which  there  is  no 
possible  attraction  to  keep  one  here  any  longer. 


304  AZTEC  LAND. 

The  only  good  harbor  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
within  a  hundred  miles  of  this  point  is  that  of  An- 
ton Lizardo,  about  fifteen  miles  to  the  southward 
of  Vera  Cruz,  which,  in  fact,  should  have  been 
made  the  commercial  port.  This  position  is  now, 
doubtless  to  be  filled  by  Tampico,  in  connection 
with  the  Mexican  Central  Railroad  branch  run- 
ning from  the  main  trunk  of  that  road  to  the 
Gulf,  by  way  of  San  Luis  Potosi.  We  heard  of 
another  element  operating  very  seriously  against 
the  interests  of  Vera  Cruz.  It  seems  that  the 
sand  of  the  Gulf  shore,  moved  by  various  currents, 
is  gradually  depositing  itself  in  the  shallow  road- 
stead in  such  quantities  as  to  seriously  imperil 
navigation.  It  is  admitted  that  should  this  con- 
tinue for  a  few  years  it  would  close  the  port  to 
commerce.  The  railroad  management  are  already 
talking  of  extending  the  line  southward  to  Anton 
Lizardo. 

On  an  island,  less  than  one  mile  off  the  shore  of 
Vera  Cruz,  stands  the  grim  old  fortress  of  San 
Juan  d'Ulloa,  a  most  conspicuous  object  with  its 
blackened  and  crumbling  walls.  It  has  often  been 
declared  to  be  impregnable,  and  yet,  curious  to 
say,  it  has  never  been  attacked  by  a  foe  without 
being  compelled  to  surrender.  Here  Cortez  landed 
on  Mexican  soil,  April  21, 1519.  He  disembarked 
on  a  Friday,  a  day  which  the  Romish  church  has 
set  apart  for  the  adoration  of  the  cross ;  he  there- 
fore called  the  place  Vera  Cruz  (The  True  Cross). 
The  mere  handful  of  followers  which  he  brought 
with  him  to  conquer  and  possess  a  nation  consisted 
of  four  hundred  and  fifteen  men  at  arms,  sixteen 


A  DESPERATE  RESORT.  305 

horses,  and  seven  cannon  !  These  last  were  mere 
howitzers.  Was  ever  a  more  daring  and  reckless 
scheme  conceived  of  ?  Fully  realizing  the  peculiar 
nature  of  the  venture,  and  fearing  that  when  his 
followers  should  awaken  to  the  extravagant  folly 
of  the  invasion,  they  would  mutiny,  forcibly  seize 
the  ships  which  had  brought  them,  and  return 
in  them  to  Cuba,  he  deliberately  destroyed  all 
the  galleys  save  one,  and  thus  cut  off  the  means 
of  retreat.  This  was  quite  in  accordance  with  the 
desperate  nature  of  the  enterprise  and  the  reck- 
less spirit  of  its  leader,  who  had  boldly  taken  upon 
himself  unauthorized  responsibility.  In  bringing 
about  the  destruction  of  his  vessels,  Cortez  resorted 
to  a  subterfuge  so  as  to  deceive  the  people  about 
him.  He  did  not  "  burn  "  his  ships,  as  has  been 
so  commonly  reported,  but  ordered  a  marine  sur- 
vey upon  them,  employing  an  officer  who  had  his 
secret  instructions,  and  when  the  report  was  made 
public  it  was  to  the  effect  that  the  galleys  were 
unseaworthy,  leaky,  and  not  fit  or  safe  for  service. 
A  certain  sea  worm  had  reduced  the  hulls  to  mere 
shells  !  So  the  stores  and  armament  were  carried 
on  shore,  and  the  vessels  sunk  or  wrecked.  "  His 
followers  murmured  at  the  loss  of  the  ships,"  says 
Chevalier,  "  but  were  quieted  by  Cortez,  who 
promised  them  salvation  in  the  next  world  and  for- 
tunes in  this."  This  is  one  version  of  the  famous 
episode  which  has  come  down  to  us,  and  which  we 
believe  to  be  the  true  one.  It  is  certainly  the 
most  in  accordance  with  all  the  known  facts  in  the 
case. 

There   are   important   circumstances   connected 


306  AZTEC  LAND. 

with  this  often  repeated  episode  which  are  not 
always  considered  in  forming  an  estimate  of  the 
whole  affair.  The  departure  of  the  expedition 
from  Cuba  was  nothing  less  than  open  rebellion 
on  the  part  of  Cortez.  Had  it  eventuated  in  fail- 
ure, its  leader  would  have  been  pronounced  a 
pirate  and  filibuster.  It  was  Talleyrand  who  de- 
clared that  nothing  succeeds  so  well  as  success. 
Thus  it  is  that  history  makes  of  the  fortunate  ad- 
venturer a  hero,  never  pausing  to  consider  the 
means  by  which  his  success  was  attained.  "  Cor- 
tez and  his  companions,"  says  Chevalier,  "  had 
incurred  the  necessity  of  signalizing  themselves 
by  some  great  exploit.  They  had  committed  a 
fault  which  the  laws  of  all  states  treated  as  crime, 
and  one  that  the  leaders  must  expiate  on  the  gib- 
bet and  their  followers  at  the  galleys,  unless 
atoned  for  by  brilliant  deeds.  Their  departure 
from  Cuba  was  an  act  of  flagrant  rebellion."  In 
his  great  haste  to  get  away  from  Cuba  he  em- 
barked in  nine  small  vessels,  the  largest  not  over 
one  hundred  tons  and  some  were  even  undecked 
boats.  Velasquez,  the  governor  of  the  island  of 
Cuba,  had  for  some  time  previously  contemplated 
sending  an  expedition  to  Mexico,  and  having  got 
it  about  ready  for  departure,  he  was  over-persuaded 
to  give  Cortez  the  command  ;  but  after  due  con- 
sideration, repenting  of  his  decision,  he  took  steps 
to  replace  him  by  a  more  trusted  officer.  Cortez 
learned  of  this,  and  hastily  got  as  many  of  the 
people  together  who  had  enlisted  for  the  purpose 
as  he  could,  and  putting  the  munitions  on  boai-d, 
sailed  without  taking  leave  !  He  had  already  been 


CORTEZ  NO  HERO.  307 

once  pardoned  out  of  prison  by  Velasquez,  where 
he  was  confined  for  gross  insubordination,  and  for 
the  baseness  of  his  private  life,  which,  though  he 
was  thirty-four  years  of  age,  exhibited  all  the  faults 
of  earliest  manhood.  R.  A.  Wilson  pronounces 
the  expedition  to  have  been  "  purely  piratical, 
whose  leader  could  have  no  hope  of  royal  pardon 
but  in  complete  success."  Cortez  knew  that  it 
would  not  answer  for  him  to  return  to  Cuba,  there- 
fore he  unhesitatingly  destroyed  the  means  by 
which  even  his  comrades  could  do  so.  These  facts 
rob  the  act  which  has  been  so  lauded  by  historians 
of  all  heroism.  Depend  upon  it,  all  our  heroes 
have  feet  of  clay.  He  had  just  made  a  rough  cam- 
paign with  the  natives  of  Tabasco,  in  Yucatan, 
where  he  learned  that  farther  up  the  Gulf,  where 
he  finally  landed,  there  was  "  a  people  who  had 
much  gold."  That  was  what  he  sought.  It  was 
not  God  but  gold  that  drew  him  onward  from  Vera 
Cruz  to  Montezuma's  capital.  He  was  not  seeking 
to  christianize  the  natives  ;  that  was  a  plausible 
subterfuge.  His  aim  was  to  enrich  himself  with 
native  spoils  and  to  acquire  empire,  nor  did  he 
pause  until  he  had  consummated  the  ruin  of  a 
kingdom  and  his  own  aggrandizement. 

The  traveler  should  not  fail  to  take  a  boat  across 
the  bay  to  the  castle,  and  there  visit  the  dark  and 
dismal  dungeons  built  below  the  surrounding  wa- 
ters of  the  Gulf,  like  those  in  the  castle  of  Chillon 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  lake  of  Geneva.  One 
may  obtain  an  admirable  view  of  the  city  and  its 
neighborhood  from  the  cupola  of  the  lofty  light- 
house, which  is  of  the  first  class,  and  rises  grandly 


308  AZTEC  LAND. 

to  ninety  feet  above  the  sea.  The  fortress  is  now 
only  partially  manned,  being  used  mostly  as  a 
place  of  confinement  for  political  prisoners.  As 
this  island  was  the  first  landing-place  of  the  Span- 
iards, so  it  was  their  last  foothold  in  Mexico. 
There  is  a  familiar  anecdote,  which  is  always  re- 
tailed by  the  guides  to  the  strangers  whom  they 
initiate  into  the  mysteries  of  the  fortress  upon 
which  Cortez  is  said  to  have  expended  uselessly 
many  millions  of  dollars.  Charles  V.,  being  asked 
for  more  funds  wherewith  to  add  to  the  defenses 
of  San  Juan  d'Ulloa,  called  for  a  spyglass,  and, 
seeking  a  window,  pointed  it  to  the  west,  seeming 
to  gaze  through  the  glass  long  and  earnestly. 
When  he  was  asked  what  he  was  looking  for,  he 
replied :  "  San  Juan  d'Ulloa.  I  have  spent  so 
much  money  upon  the  structure  that  it  seems  to 
me  I  ought  to  see  it  standing  on  the  western 
horizon." 

The  low-lying  town  —  nearly  eight  thousand  feet 
below  the  city  of  Mexico  —  is,  perhaps,  one  of  the 
most  unhealthy  spots  on  this  continent,  where  the 
yellow  fever,  or  vomito  as  it  is  called,  prevails 
for  six  or  seven  months  of  the  year,  claiming 
myriads  of  victims  annually,  while  a  malarial 
scourge,  known  as  the  stranger's  fever,  lingers 
about  the  place  more  or  less  fatally  all  the  year 
round,  according  to  the  number  of  persons  who 
are  liable  to  be  attacked.  The  yellow  fever,  which 
makes  its  appearance  in  May,  is  generally  at  its 
worst  in  August  and  September,  at  which  periods 
it  is  apt  to  creep  upwards  towards  the  higher  lands 
as  far  as  Jalapa  and  Orizaba,  though  it  has  never 


A  CITY  OF  THE  DEAD.  309 

been  known  to  exist  to  any  great  extent  in  either 
of  these  places.  The  dangerous  miasma  which 
prevails  seems  to  be  quite  harmless  to  the  natives 
of  the  locality,  or  at  least  they  are  rarely  attacked 
by  it.  When  a  person  has  once  contracted  yellow 
fever  and  recovered  from  it,  as  a  rule  he  is  pre- 
sumed to  be  exempt  from  a  second  attack,  but  this 
is  not  a  rule  without  an  exception.  In  summer 
the  streets  of  Vera  Cruz  are  deserted  except  by  the 
buzzards  and  the  stray  dogs.  These  quarrel  with 
each  other  for  scraps  of  food.  The  latter  by  no 
means  always  get  the  best  of  it.  Even  the  Mexi- 
cans at  such  times  call  the  place  Una  ciudad  de 
los  muertos  (a  city  of  the  dead). 

A  large  share  of  the  business  of  Vera  Cruz  is 
carried  on  by  French  or  German  residents  who 
have  become  acclimated,  or  by  those  born  here  of 
parents  belonging  to  those  nationalities.  Many 
of  the  merchants  of  the  city  keep  up  a  permanent 
residence  at  Jalapa  for  sanitary  reasons.  It  is 
singular  that  the  climate  of  this  port  on  the  Gulf 
side  of  the  peninsula  should  be  so  fatal  to  human 
life,  while  the  Pacific  side,  in  the  same  latitude 
and  quite  near  at  hand,  is  perfectly  salubrious. 
When  the  French  army  landed  here  in  1863-64, 
the  ranks  were  decimated  by  the  epidemic,  and  the 
graveyard  where  the  bodies  of  between  three  and 
four  thousand  French  victims  lie  buried  near  the 
city  has  been  named  by  their  countrymen,  with 
grim  humor,  "  Le  Jardin  d'Acclimatation  "  ! 

On  viewing  the  town  from  the  castle  of  San 
Juan  d'Ulloa,  one  is  struck  by  the  oriental  aspect 
which  it  presents.  Everything  is  seen  through  a 


310  AZTEC  LAND. 

lurid  atmosphere.  The  glare  of  sunshine  reflected 
by  the  porcelain  domes  and  the  intense  blue  of 
the  sky  are  Egyptian.  Groups  of  mottled  church 
towers  surmounted  by  glittering  crosses  ;  square, 
flat-roofed  houses ;  rough  fortifications ;  a  long 
reach  of  hot  sandy  plain  on  either  side  relieved  by 
a  few  palm-trees ;  and  scattered  groups  of  low- 
growing  cactus,  —  these  make  up  the  picture  of  the 
flat,  miasmatic  shore.  There  are  no  suburbs  ;  the 
dreary,  monotonous  sand  creeps  close  up  to  the 
city.  But  if  the  near  foreground  thus  exhibits  a 
certain  repulsive  nakedness,  there  looms  grandly 
on  the  far-away  horizon  the  Sierra  Madre  range 
of  mountains,  the  culminating  point  of  which  is 
the  bold,  aspiring  peak  of  Orizaba.  It  must  be 
clear  weather,  however,  to  enable  the  visitor  to  see 
this  remarkable  elevation,  with  its  hoary  crown, 
to  reach  whose  base  twenty-seven  leagues  must  be 
traversed. 

The  long,  straight,  narrow  streets  are  laid  out 
with  great  uniformity,  a  characteristic  of  all  Mexi- 
can cities,  and  cross  each  other  at  right  angles, 
the  monotony  being  broken  by  green  blinds  open- 
ing on  to  the  little  balconies  which  are  shaded  by 
awnings.  The  streets  have  a  sort  of  sun-baked 
hue,  though  the  principal  thoroughfares  show  a 
fair  degree  of  life  and  activity  considering  that  the 
population  is  so  largely  made  up  of  Mexicans. 
The  area  covered  by  the  city  cannot  much  exceed 
sixty  acres,  the  town  being  built  in  a  very  compact 
manner,  a  bird's-eye  view  of  which  makes  it  re- 
semble the  outspread  human  hand.  The  port  has 
seen  its  most  prosperous  days,  if  we  may  judge  by 


IN  THE  STREETS  OF  VERA   CRUZ.        311 

present  appearances.  The  aggregate  of  the  im- 
ports and  exports  amounted  to  about  thirty  million 
dollars  annually  before  the  completion  of  the  rail- 
roads to  the  national  capital  and  thence  to  El 
Paso,  but,  as  was  anticipated,  this  new  facility  for 
transportation  has  diverted  a  large  portion  of  this 
amount  northward  through  the  United  States.  The 
streets  of  Vera  Cruz  are  still  crowded  in  business 
hours  with  mule  carts,  porters,  half-naked  water- 
carriers,  Indians,  and  a  few  negroes,  military 
officers,  and  active  civilians.  Speaking  of  negroes, 
there  are  a  less  number  in  all  Mexico  than  in  any 
one  State  of  this  Union.  In  the  plaza  pretty 
flower-girls  with  tempting  bouquets  mingle  with 
fruit  venders,  lottery-ticket  sellers,  and  dashing 
young  Mexican  dudes,  wearing  broad  sombreros 
heavy  with  cords  of  silver  braid.  Occasionally 
there  passes  some  dignified  senora,  whose  head 
and  shoulders  are  covered  with  a  black  lace  man- 
tilla, imparting  infinite  grace  to  her  handsome 
figure.  How  vastly  superior  is  that  soft,  drooping 
veil  to  the  tall  hats  and  absurd  bonnets  of  north- 
ern civilization !  Broad  contrasts  present  them- 
selves on  all  hands,  in  groups  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  half  clad  in  rags,  perhaps,  but  gay  with 
brilliant  colors,  sharing  the  way  with  some  sober- 
clad  Europeans,  or  rollicking,  half  tipsy  seamen  on 
shore-leave  from  the  shipping  at  anchor  in  the 
roadstead. 

The  Plaza  de  la  Constitucion  is  small  in  extent, 
about  two  hundred  feet  square,  but  it  is  very  at- 
tractive. It  is  skillfully  arranged,  having  a  hand- 
some bronze  fountain  in  its  centre,  the  gift  of 


312  AZTEC  LAND. 

Carlotta,  the  unfortunate,  energetic  wife  of  Maxi- 
milian. In  the  evening  the  place  is  rendered  bril- 
liant by  a  system  of  electric  lights.  The  flower 
plots  and  marble  walks  are  ornamented  with  many 
lovely  tropical  flowers,  cocoanut  palms,  and  fra- 
grant roses  nodding  languidly  in  the  hot  summer 
atmosphere  under  a  sky  intensely  blue,  and  nine 
tenths  of  the  time  perfectly  cloudless.  The  Aus- 
tralian gum-tree  and  the  Chinese  laurel  were  con- 
spicuous among  other  exotic  varieties.  As  the 
twilight  approaches,  it  is  amusing  to  watch  the 
habitues,  consisting  of  both  sexes,  especially  in 
shady  corners  where  there  is  obviously  much  love- 
making  on  the  sly,  but  not  the  legitimate  article 
of  the  Romeo  and  Juliet  sort  which  has  already 
been  described.  Here  and  there  strolls  a  dude,  — 
a  Mexican  dude,  with  his  dark  face  shaded  by  his 
sombrero,  his  tight  trousers  flaring  at  the  bottom 
and  profusely  ornamented  at  the  side  with  silver 
buttons.  He  is  jostled  by  a  fellow-countryman, 
who  gathers  his  serape  across  his  left  shoulder  and 
breast  so  adroitly  as  to  partially  conceal  his  shabby 
attire,  while  he  puffs  his  cigarette  with  assumed 
nonchalance,  exchanging  a  careless  word  in  the 
mean  time  with  the  gypsy-like  woman  who  offers 
bananas  and  zapotas  for  sale.  Dainty  senor- 
itas  trip  across  the  way  in  red-heeled  slippers  of 
Cinderella-like  proportions,  while  noisy,  laughing, 
happy  children,  girls  and  boys,  romp  with  pet 
dogs,  trundle  ribbon-decked  hoops,  or  spin  gaudy 
humming  tops.  Flaring  posters  catch  the  eye, 
heralding  the  cruel  bull-fight  or  a  performance  at 
the  theatre.  On  Sundays  a  military  band  performs 


FIREFLIES  AS  PERSONAL  ORNAMENTS.    313 

here  forenoons  and  evenings.  Under  the  starlight 
you  may  look  not  only  among  the  low  growing 
foliage  to  see  the  fireflies,  which  float  there  like 
clouds  of  phosphorescence,  but  now  and  again  one 
will  glow,  diamond-like,  in  the  black  hair  of  the 
fair  senoritas,  where  they  are  ingeniously  fastened 
to  produce  this  effect.  It  is  strictly  a  Spanish  idea, 
which  the  author  has  often  seen  in  Havana.  So 
brilliant  are  these  tropical  fireflies  that  with  three 
or  four  placed  under  an  inverted  wineglass  one 
can  see  to  read  fine  printed  matter  in  the  night- 
time. It  is  the  common  people  mostly  who  use 
these  insects  as  evening  ornaments  on  their  per- 
sons, though  sometimes  the  most  refined  ladies 
wear  them.  The  firefly  has  a  hook-like  integument 
on  its  body  by  which  it  is  easily  fastened  to  the 
hair  or  dress  without  any  harm  to  itself.  It  seems 
as  though  nature  had  anticipated  this  peculiar  use 
of  the  "lightning-bug,"  and  so  provided  the  neces- 
sary means  for  the  purpose.  The  country  people 
bring  them  to  market  in  little  wicker  baskets  or 
cages,  and  it  is  curious  to  see  with  what  avidity 
they  will  consume  sugar.  As  you  gaze  with  in- 
terest at  the  picture  of  tropical  life,  you  are  quietly 
asked  for  a  few  pennies  by  a  man  so  well  dressed, 
and  apparently  so  well  to  do,  that  it  seems  more 
like  a  joke  than  like  real  begging.  Just  so  the 
author  has  been  accosted  in  the  streets  of  Granada, 
in  continental  Spain,  with  a  request  for  a  trifling 
sum  of  money,  by  well-dressed  people.  Compara- 
tively few  beggars  importune  one  in  the  large  cities 
of  Mexico,  being  deterred  by  the  watchful  police ; 
but  in  the  environs  of  any  large  settlement  the 


314  AZTEC  LAND. 

poverty-stricken  people  are  sure  to  descend  upon 
the  stranger  like  an  army  with  banners. 

The  architecture  of  Vera  Cruz  is  of  the  old 
Spanish  style,  with  a  dash  of  Moorish  flavor  in 
it,  recalling  Tangier  and  other  cities  of  Morocco. 
The  governor's  palace  is  a  building  of  some  pre- 
tension, two  stories  in  height,  with  a  veranda  on 
each,  and  a  tall  square  tower  at  one  end  of  the 
edifice.  Having  visited  the  plaza,  the  alameda, 
with  its  fine  array  of  cocoa-palms,  the  municipal 
palace,  the  custom-house,  the  public  library,  and 
the  large  church  fronting  the  plaza,  one  has  about 
exhausted  the  main  features  of  interest.  This  lat- 
ter structure  is  an  imposing  building,  but  it  will 
in  no  respect  compare  with  the  cathedrals  of  the 
other  cities  which  we  have  described.  There  are 
a  fair  number  of  public  schools  in  the  town,  two 
well-endowed  hospitals,  public  baths,  and  a  few 
other  institutions  worthy  of  a  progressive  people. 
A  thoroughfare,  called  the  Street  of  Christ,  leads 
out  to  the  Campo  Santo,  half  a  mile  away.  This 
burial-place  is  an  area  surrounded  by  high  walls, 
built  very  thick  of  rubble  -  stones  and  adobe,  in 
which  the  tombs  are  made  to  receive  the  bodies 
instead  of  placing  them  in  the  ground.  This  neg- 
lected city  of  the  dead  has  been  taken  in  hand  by 
Nature  herself,  and  wild  flowers  are  seen  amid  the 
sombre  and  dreary  surroundings,  rivaling  in  beauty 
and  fragrance  many  cultivated  favorites. 

The  city  houses  are  built  of  coral  limestone, 
stuccoed.  The  roofs,  when  pitched,  are  covered 
with  tiles  of  a  dull  red  color,  but  they  are  nearly 
all  flat.  The  interior  arrangements  are  like  those 


STREET  SCAVENGERS.  315 

elsewhere  described.  Each  house  of  the  better 
class  has  its  square  inner  court,  or  patio,  round 
which  the  dwelling  is  constructed,  and  this  is  or- 
namented more  or  less  prettily,  according  to  the 
owner's  taste,  potted  plants  always  forming  a 
prominent  feature,  together  with  an  array  of  caged 
singing  birds.  The  long  windows  are  guarded 
by  significant  iron  bars,  like  the  dwelling-houses 
throughout  this  country  and  in  Havana.  Some- 
times on  the  better  class  of  houses  this  iron  work 
is  rendered  quite  ornamental.  The  narrow  streets 
are  kept  scrupulously  clean,  and  are  paved  with 
cobble-stones  which  we  were  told  were  brought  by 
ships  from  the  coast  of  New  England,  and  have 
a  gutter  running  down  the  middle.  There  is  an 
abundance  of  active,  keen-eyed  scavengers  wad- 
dling about,  always  on  the  alert  to  pick  up  and 
devour  domestic  refuse  or  garbage  of  any  sort 
which  is  found  in  the  streets.  These  are  the  dark- 
plumed,  funereal-looking  buzzard,  or  vulture,  a 
bird  which  is  protected  by  law,  and  depended  on 
to  act  in  the  capacity  we  have  described.  They 
are  two  feet  and  over  in  length  of  body,  and  meas- 
ure six  feet  from  tip  to  tip  of  the  wings,  or  about 
the  size  of  a  large  Rhode  Island  turkey.  Employ- 
ing these  birds  for  the  removal  of  refuse  is  a  rem- 
edy almost  as  bad  as  the  disease,  since  the  habits 
of  the  huge,  ungainly,  ill-omened  creatures  are  ex- 
tremely disgusting.  Clouds  of  them  roost  upon 
the  eaves  of  the  houses,  the  church  belfries,  and 
all  exposed  balconies,  and  would  invade  the  patios 
of  the  dwellings  were  they  not  vigorously  driven 
away  and  thus  taught  better  manners.  The  cathe- 


316  AZTEC  LAND. 

dral  facade  on  the  plaza  is  sometimes  black  with 
them,  the  rays  of  the  bright  tropical  sun  being 
reflected  from  their  glossy  feathers  as  from  a  mir- 
ror. It  seems  there  is  one  mystery  which  apper- 
tains to  these  unpleasant  birds  ;  namely,  as  to  their 
breeding  places.  No  one  knows  where  they  go  to 
build  their  nests  and  to  raise  their  young.  The 
imaginative  stranger  is  perhaps  inclined  to  regard 
them  as  tokens  of  danger  to  the  newcomer.  All 
things  considered,  many  a  northern  city  has  a  less 
efficient  street-cleaning  department. 

For  a  striking  picture  of  strong  local  color,  we 
commend  the  stranger  to  watch  for  a  short  half- 
hour  the  picturesque  old  fountain  at  the  head  of 
the  Calle  Centrale.  Here  he  will  find  at  almost 
any  time  of  the  day  scores  of  weary  burros  slaking 
their  thirst;  busy  water-carriers  filling  their  red 
earthen  jars ;  the  street  gamin  wetting  his  thirsty 
lips  ;  the  itinerant  fruit  peddler  seeking  for  cus- 
tomers ;  the  gay  caballero  pausing  to  water  the 
handsome  animal  he  bestrides ;  while  the  tramway 
mules  seek  their  share  of  the  refreshing  liquid. 
Dark-hued  women  are  coming  and  going  with 
earthen  jars  poised  upon  their  heads,  wonderfully 
like  their  Eastern  sisters  at  the  fountains  of  orien- 
tal Cairo.  Here  are  men  with  curiously  trimmed 
fighting  birds  in  their  arms,  wending  their  way  to 
the  cruel  cockpit.  On  the  edge  of  the  sidewalk 
close  at  hand,  women  are  cooking  dough  -  cakes  of 
corn-meal  over  charcoal  in  tiny  earthen  braziers, 
—  the  universal  tortillas.  A  sand-covered  mule- 
teer, just  arrived,  is  testing  their  quality  while  his 
burros  are  drinking  at  the  fountain. 


STARTLING   VICISSITUDES.  317 

Though  Vera  Cruz  has  suffered  more  than  any 
other  capital  with  which  we  are  acquainted  from 
bombardments,  change  of  rulers,  ravages  of  bucca- 
neers, hurricanes,  fevers,  and  other  plagues,  yet  it 
is  still  a  prosperous  city,  always  spoken  of  with 
a  certain  degree  of  pride  by  the  people  of  the  re- 
public as  Villa  Rica  de  Vera  Cruz,  that  is,  "  the 
rich  city  of  the  true  cross."  A  brief  glance  at 
its  past  history  shows  us  that,  in  1568,  it  was  in 
the  hands  of  pirates,  and  that  it  was  again  sacked 
by  buccaneers  in  1683,  having  been  in  the  interim, 
during  the  year  1618,  swept  by  a  devastating  con- 
flagration which  nearly  obliterated  the  place.  In 
1822-23,  it  was  bombarded  by  the  Spaniards,  who 
still  held  the  castle  of  San  Juan  d'Ulloa.  In  1838, 
it  was  attacked  by  a  French  fleet,  and  in  1847, 
was  cannonaded  and  captured  by  the  American 
forces.  In  1856,  it  was  nearly  destroyed  by  a 
hurricane.  In  1859,  civil  war  decimated  the  for- 
tress and  the  town.  The  French  and  Imperialists 
took  and  held  it  from  1861  until  1867,  when  the 
cause  of  national  independence  triumphed.  Since 
this  latter  date  Vera  Cruz  has  enjoyed  a  period  of 
quiet  and  a  large  share  of  commercial  prosperity. 

About  ten  or  twelve  miles  southward  from  the 
city  is  the  little  town  of  Medillin,  a  sort  of  popular 
watering-place,  the  Saratoga  of  this  neighborhood. 
It  is  made  up  of  a  few  decent  houses  of  brick  and 
wood,  and  many  very  poor  ones,  having  plenty 
of  drinking,  dancing,  and  gambling  saloons.  The 
trip  thither  is  most  enjoyable  to  a  stranger,  for  the 
glimpse  it  gives  him  of  the  tropical  character  and 
the  rank  fertility  of  this  region.  On  the  way  one 


318  AZTEC  LAND. 

passes  through  a  floral  paradise,  where  flowers  of 
every  hue  and  teeming  with  fragrance  line  the  way. 
Almond-trees,  yielding  grateful  shade,  and  the 
Ponciana  regia,  blazing  with  gorgeous  flowers, 
are  in  strong  contrast  to  each  other.  The  pro- 
ductive breadfruit-tree  and  the  grapefruit  with  its 
yellow  product  abound.  Here  one  sees  the  scarlet 
hibiscus  beside  the  galan  de  noche  (garland  of 
night),  which  grows  like  a  young  palm  to  nearly 
ten  feet  in  height,  throwing  out  from  the  centre  of 
its  tufted  top  a  group  of  brown  blossoms  daintily 
tipped  with  white,  the  mass  of  bloom  shaped  like 
a  rich  cluster  of  ripe  grapes.  Truly,  the  trees  and 
flowers  to  be  seen  on  the  way  to  Medillin  are  a 
revelation. 

The  State  of  Vera  Cruz  borders  the  Gulf  for 
a  distance  of  five  hundred  miles,  averaging  in 
width  about  seventy-five  miles.  No  other  section 
of  the  country  is  so  remarkable  for  its  extreme 
temperature  and  for  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  The 
variety  of  its  productions  is  simply  marvelous.  The 
intense  heat  is  tempered  by  the  northers,  which 
usually  occur  about  the  first  of  December,  and 
from  time  to  time  until  the  first  of  April,  during 
which  period  any  part  of  the  state  is  comparatively 
healthy.  A  list  of  the  native  products  would  sur- 
prise one.  Among  them  we  find  tobacco,  coffee, 
sugar,  cotton,  wheat,  barley,  vanilla,  pineapples, 
oranges,  lemons,  bananas,  pomegranates,  peaches, 
plums,  apricots,  tamarinds,  watermelons,  citrons, 
pears,  and  many  other  fruits  and  vegetables.  The 
natives  push  a  stick  into  the  ground,  drop  in  a 
kernel  or  two  of  corn,  cover  them  with  the  soil  by 


REMARKABLE  FERTILITY.  319 

a  mere  brush  of  their  feet,  and  ninety  days  after 
they  pluck  the  ripe  ears.  There  is  no  other  labor, 
no  fertilizer  is  used,  nor  is  there  any  occasion  for 
consulting  the  season,  for  the  seed  will  ripen  and 
yield  its  fruit  each  month  of  the  year,  if  planted 
at  suitable  intervals. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Jalapa.  —  A  Health  Resort.  —  Birds,  Flowers,  and  Fruits.  — 
Cerro  Gordo.  —  Cathedral.  —  Earthquakes.  —  Local  Charac- 
teristics. —  Vanilla.  —  Ancient  Ruins.  —  Tortillas.  —  Blondes 
in  a  City  of  Brunettes.  —  Curiosities  of  Mexican  Courtship. 
—  Caged  Singing  Birds.  —  Banditti  Outwitted.  —  Socialistic 
Indians.  —  Traces  of  a  Lost  City.  —  Guadalajara.  —  On  the 
Mexican  Plateau  —  A  Progressive  Capital.  —  Fine  Modern 
Buildings.  —  The  Cathedral.  —  Native  Artists.  —  A  Noble 
Institution.  —  Amusements.  —  San  Pedro.  —  Evening  in  the 
Plaza.  —  A  Ludicrous  Carnival.  —  Judas  Day. 

JALAPA,  signifying  "the  place  of  water  and 
land,"  —  pronounced  Halapa, —  is  situated  about 
sixty  miles  north-northwest  of  Vera  Cruz,  and  is 
considered  to  be  the  sanitarium  of  the  latter  city, 
whither  many  of  the  families  who  are  able  to  do  so 
resort  during  the  sickly  season.  Not  a  few  of  the 
prosperous  merchants  maintain  dwellings  in  both 
cities.  Its  situation  insures  salubrity,  as  it  is  more 
than  four  thousand  feet  higher  than  the  seacoast. 
The  yellow  fever  may  terrorize  the  lowlands  and 
blockade  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  as  it 
surely  does  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  from 
Yucatan  to  Vera  Cruz,  but  the  atmosphere  of  the 
highlands,  commencing  at  Jalapa  on  the  north 
and  Orizaba  on  the  south,  is,  as  a  rule,  full  of  life- 
invigorating  properties.  We  do  not  mean  to  say 
that  these  places  are  absolutely  free  from  yellow 
fever  and  miasmatic  illness,  but  they  are  so  far 


LUXURIANCE  OF  THE  TROPICS.         321 

superior  to  Vera  Cruz  in  this  respect  as  to  be  con- 
sidered health-resorts  for  the  people  on  the  shores 
of  the  Gulf.  The  route  to  Jalapa  from  the  coast 
passes  through  the  old  national  road  by  the  way  of 
Cerro  Gordo.  The  hamlet  bearing  this  name, 
where  General  Scott  outflanked  and  defeated 
Santa  Anna,  April  18, 1847,  consists  of  a  few  mud 
cabins  in  a  tumble-down  condition.  It  has  become 
a  memorable  spot,  but  save  its  historical  associa- 
tion is  possessed  of  no  attractions.  It  is  not  a 
populous  district:  there  are  few  haciendas  met 
with,  and  fewer  hamlets,  but  the  scenery  is  very 
grand,  and  the  vegetation  is  characterized  by  all 
the  luxuriance  of  the  tropics.  Birds  and  flowers 
abound,  and  wild  fruits  are  so  plenty  that  they 
ripen  and  decay  undisturbed  by  the  hands  of  the 
natives.  Nature  is  over-bountiful,  over-prolific. 
There  is  no  sere  and  yellow  leaf  here  —  fruits  and 
flowers  are  perennial.  If  a  leaf  falls,  another 
springs  into  life  on  the  vacant  stem.  If  fruit  is 
plucked,  a  blossom  quickly  appears  and  another 
cluster  ripens. 

Of  birds  distinguished  for  beauty  of  plumage 
and  sweetness  of  song  there  are,  according  to 
Clavigero,  between  fifty  and  sixty  different  species. 
Of  those  suitable  for  food  there  are  over  seventy 
sorts  in  the  republic,  according  to  the  same  au- 
thority. The  rage  for  brilliant-colored  feathers 
with  which  to  decorate  the  bonnets  of  fashionable 
ladies  in  American  cities  has  led  to  great  destruc- 
tion among  ti'opical  birds  of  both  Mexico  and 
South  America.  Here  they  have  also  been  always 
in  demand  for  the  purpose  of  producing  what  is 


322  AZTEC  LAND. 

termed  feather  pictures,  as  elsewhere  described  in 
these  pages. 

The  road  is  very  tortuous,  winding  up  long 
hills  and  down  steep  gulches,  with  here  and  there 
a  rude,  significant  wooden  cross,  held  in  place  by  a 
little  mound  of  stones,  raised  above  the  burial-place 
of  some  murdered  man.  This,  it  seems,  is  a  con- 
scientious service  always  rendered  in  Mexico  by 
any  one  who  is  the  first  to  discover  such  a  body. 
Each  native  who  afterwards  passes  the  spot  adds 
a  small  store  to  the  pile,  and  kneeling,  utters  a 
brief  prayer  in  behalf  of  the  dead  man's  soul. 

Jalapa  has  a  permanent  population  of  some 
fourteen  thousand,  which  is  considerably  increased 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  It  contains  a  large, 
well-appointed  cathedral,  with  a  number  of  other 
Catholic  churches.  Cortez  and  his  followers  cov- 
ered the  land  with  cathedrals  and  demi-cathedrals, 
but  the  disestablishment  of  the  church  and  the 
general  confiscation  of  ecclesiastical  property  has 
rendered  it  impossible  to  sustain  them  all,  together 
with  the  crowds  of  officiating  priests.  The  conse- 
quence is  that  here,  as  elsewhere  in  the  republic, 
many  are  crumbling  into  decay,  and  when  an  er- 
ratic earthquake,  which  is  no  respecter  of  sacred 
buildings,  tumbles  over  some  high-reaching  dome 
or  tower,  or  twists  a  facade  out  of  plumb,  it  is  left 
to  remain  in  that  condition,  and  soon  becomes  a 
partial  ruin.  We  saw  several  thus  dilapidated  in 
different  sections  of  the  country.  Jalapa  enjoys  a 
commanding  situation  at  the  base  of  the  Cope  de 
Peroto,  on  undulating  ground  on  the  slope  of  the 
so-called  hill  of  Macuiltepec ;  many  of  the  streets 


THE  VANILLA  PLANT.  323 

are  therefore  very  steep,  and  the  scenery,  which  is 
really  beautiful,  is  quite  Alpine  in  character. 

The  low  stone  houses  are  perched  on  the  hill- 
sides, and  the  streets  are  irregular.  This  neigh- 
borhood is  said  to  produce  the  prettiest  women 
and  the  loveliest  flowers  to  be  found  in  all  Mexico, 
and  it  is  certain  that  in  its  gardens  may  be  gath- 
ered the  fruits  and  flowers  of  every  zone.  Among 
other  special  products  of  this  vicinity  is  the  aro- 
matic vanilla  plant,  which  is  indigenous  here  and 
grows  in  wild  abundance  in  the  forests,  proving  a 
great  source  of  income  to  the  industrious  native 
gatherers.  The  plant  requires  only  shade  and 
moisture.  The  peculiar  soil  and  climate  do  the 
rest.  The  harvest  is  gathered  in  March  and  April. 
The  flowers  of  the  vanilla  are  of  a  greenish  yellow, 
touched  here  and  there  with  white.  It  has  a 
climbing  stalk.  The  pods  grow  in  pairs  and  are 
about  as  large  round  as  one's  little  finger,  and  six 
inches  long,  though  they  vary,  and  the  longer  they 
are  the  greater  is  considered  their  value.  These 
are  green  at  first,  gradually  turning  to  yellow,  and 
then  to  brown,  as  they  become  fully  ripe.  They 
are  carefully  dried  in  the  sun,  being  touched  dur- 
ing the  process  with  palm  oil,  which  gives  them  a 
soft,  glossy  effect  when  they  reach  the  consumers' 
hands.  Chocolate  perfumed  with  vanilla  was  a 
Mexican  dish  which  Montezuma  placed  before 
Cortez.  The  quantity  shipped  from  Jalapa  is  very 
considerable  in  the  aggregate,  and  proves  an  im- 
portant source  of  revenue.  We  are  told  that  the 
vanilla  was  successfully  cultivated  here  by  the 
Totonacs,  ancient  dwellers  in  this  region,  the  aro- 


324  AZTEC  LAND. 

matic  product  being  highly  appreciated  by  the 
Sybaritic  Moutezuma  and  the  Aztec  nobles  gen- 
erally, and  commanding  even  in  those  days  a  lib- 
eral price.  Humboldt  speaks  of  "the  vanilla, 
whose  odoriferous  fruit  is  used  as  a  perfume,  grow- 
ing in  the  ever-green  forests  of  Papantla."  Here 
also  are  found  ruins  left  by  some  forgotten  race 
who  must  have  reached  to  a  certain  degree  of  high 
civilization,  judging  by  these  interesting  remains. 
Of  this  land,  lying  far  to  the  south  of  the  Aztec 
territory,  and  of  its  people,  even  tradition  has 
nothing  to  reveal  to  us.  But  its  ruins  are  pre- 
sumed to  be  contemporary  with  those  better  known 
in  Yucatan,  which  they  resemble  in  many  impor- 
tant particulars.  One  other  notable  plant  grows 
wild  hereabouts,  less  pleasing  to  the  senses,  but 
well  known  as  an  important  drug  in  our  medical 
practice,  namely,  jalap,  which  takes  its  name 
from  the  locality,  or  the  place  is  named  after  the 
plant. 

The  atmosphere  of  Jalapa  is  always  humid,  and 
the  city  is  often  overshadowed  by  clouds  which 
come  up  from  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  heavy  with 
moisture  to  be  precipitated  in  the  form  of  rain. 
A  sort  of  "  drizzling  "  prevails  most  of  the  time, 
like  that  which  one  encounters  at  Bergen,  in  Nor- 
way, or  at  Sitka,  Alaska.  In  the  former  place  it 
is  said  to  rain  eight  days  in  the  week. 

The  old  convent  of  San  Francisco,  vast  in  ex- 
tent and  once  equally  so  in  influence,  is  an  object 
of  considerable  interest,  situated  in  the  centre  of 
the  town.  It  is  believed  to  have  been  erected  by 
Cortez,  and  was  once  occupied  by  a  powerful  com- 


THE   UNIVERSAL  TORTILLA.  325 

munity  of  Franciscans.  This  was  also  the  birth- 
place of  General  Santa  Anna,  the  most  notorious 
of  Mexico's  soldiers  of  fortune,  and  whose  now 
neglected  hacienda  is  pointed  out  to  the  visitor. 
In  his  checkered  career  Santa  Anna  was  con- 
stantly falling  from  position,  but  this  was  only  the 
prelude  to  his  rising  again  and  to  a  greater  eleva- 
tion, from  which  he  was  sure  to  be  ignominiously 
hurled. 

Here  the  author  had  a  first  taste  of  the  universal 
tortilla,  which  is  to  the  people  of  Mexico  what 
macaroni  is  to  the  lazzaroni  of  Naples,  or  bread 
to  a  New  Englander.  It  is  made  from  Indian 
corn,  as  already  intimated,  not  ground  in  a  mill  to 
the  condition  of  meal,  but  after  being  soaked  in  the 
kernel  and  softened  by  potash,  it  is  rolled  between 
two  stones,  and  water  being  added  a  paste  or 
dough  is  formed,  which  is  manipulated  between 
the  palms  of  the  hands  to  a  thin  flat  cake  and 
baked  over  a  charcoal  fire  in  an  earthen  brazier. 
It  is  very  palatable  and  nutritious  to  a  hungry 
person.  Those  who  can  afford  to  do  so  often  mix 
some  appetizing  ingredient  with  the  simple  cakes, 
such  as  sweets,  peppers,  or  chopped  meats.  The 
scores  of  Indian  women  who  come  to  market  to 
offer  their  grain,  baskets,  fruits,  vegetables,  and 
flowers  for  sale,  are  wrapped  in  rebosas  of  various 
colors,  but  are  barefooted,  bareheaded,  and  with 
no  covering  on  their  arms  or  legs,  forming  striking 
and  characteristic  groups. 

Though  the  natives  go  about  during  the  day 
only  half  clad,  both  men  and  women  exposing  a 
large  portion  of  the  bare  body  to  the  atmosphere,  it 


326  AZTEC  LAND. 

was  observed  that  as  soon  as  the  evening  shadows 
fell,  both  sexes  protected  their  necks  and  shoul- 
ders with  wraps ;  the  men  winding  their  woolen 
serapes  even  over  the  lower  part  of  their  faces, 
and  the  women  covering  theirs  with  the  universal 
rebosa.  The  change  of  temperature  soon  after 
sunset  and  in  the  early  mornings,  as  compared 
with  the  rest  of  the  day,  is  very  decided  through- 
out Mexico.  Foreigners  who  observe  these  native 
precautions  and  follow  them  avoid  taking  colds, 
while  others,  more  heedless,  are  liable  to  pay  the 
penalty. 

One  peculiarity  was  observed  at  Jalapa.  While 
most  of  the  Mexican  women  are  quite  dark-hued, 
especially  those  from  the  rural  districts  and  of 
mixed  blood,  that  is  of  Indian  and  Spanish  de- 
scent, yet  a  large  number  of  those  one  meets  in 
Jalapa  are  decided  blondes,  having  light  hair  with 
blue  eyes,  and  possessing  as  blooming  complexions 
as  the  orchids  which  so  much  abound  in  this  dis- 
trict. 

There  is  a  rage  for  caged  singing  birds  in  the 
better  class  of  houses,  a  perfect  flood  of  melody 
floating  out  of  open  windows  and  patios.  The 
birds  are  brilliant  both  in  plumage  and  in  song,  a 
combination  not  always  found  in  the  low  latitudes. 
As  a  rule,  south  of  the  equator,  the  gaudily-plumed 
birds  please  the  eye,  and  the  plain  ones  delight  the 
ear.  The  Mexican  parrots  are  the  most  voluble 
to  be  found  this  side  of  southern  Africa.  It  seems 
that  there  are  conventional  rules  relating  to  bird- 
fancying  here ;  the  middle  and  lower  classes  make 
pets  of  the  parrot  tribe,  while  the  more  preten- 


A  TRICKY  BIRD  MERCHANT.  327 

tious  people  prefer  mocking-birds,  canaries,  and 
the  favorite  little  clarin.  Boys  walk  about  the 
streets  of  the  national  capital  with  a  species  of 
small  paroquet  for  sale,  trained  to  run  all  over  the 
owner's  arms,  neck,  and  fingers,  showing  no  in- 
clination to  seek  liberty  by  flight.  A  lady  stop- 
ping at  the  Iturbide  purchased  a  bird  of  many 
colors,  marvelous  to  look  at,  which  she  had  been 
assured  by  the  itinerant  vender  would  sing  glo- 
riously as  soon  as  it  became  acquainted  with  its 
new  home.  It  was  sufficiently  curious,  however, 
because  of  its  remarkably  brilliant  and  queerly 
disposed  colors.  After  petting  it  for  a  few  days 
the  new  mistress  gave  the  bird  a  warm  bath,  out 
of  which  the  little  fellow  came  all  of  one  hue, 
namely  a  dark  ash  color.  The  deceitful  bird  mer- 
chant had  ingeniously  painted  him  from  the  crown 
of  his  head  to  the  very  tip  of  his  tail  feathers ! 

Like  all  these  Spanish  cities,  the  windows  of  the 
dwellings  are  secured  by  a  screen  of  iron  bars,  and 
many  fronts  where  the  house  is  of  two  stories  in 
height  have  also  delightful  little  balconies,  answer- 
ing a  Romeo  and  Juliet  purpose,  all  courtship 
being  conducted  here  in  a  surreptitious  manner. 
A  Mexican  never  goes  about  a  courtship  whereby 
he  hopes  to  win  a  wife  in  an  open,  straightfor- 
ward manner.  On  the  contrary,  he  forms  cun- 
ning schemes  for  meeting  his  fair  inamorata,  and 
employs  ingenious  subterfuges  to  gain  a  stolen 
interview.  He  tells  his  passion  not  in  words,  but 
with  profound  sighs  and  significant  glances,  as 
he  passes  her  flower-decked  balcony,  while  she, 
although  perfectly  understanding  his  pantomime, 


328  AZTEC  LAND. 

assumes  the  most  profound  innocence  and  even  in- 
difference. This  fires  the  suitor's  ardor  ;  he  bows 
sadly  when  passing  her  balcony,  with  his  right 
hand  pressed  vehemently  upon  his  left  breast, 
where  a  youthful  lover's  heart  is  popularly  sup- 
posed to  be  located.  Finally,  after  a  good  deal  of 
pretentious  pantomime,  the  fair  senorita  appears  to 
realize  the  purport  of  all  this  wooing,  and  seems 
gradually  to  yield  to  his  silent  yet  expressive  im- 
portunities. There  is  also  a  language  of  the  fan, 
of  flowers,  of  the  fingers,  all  of  which  are  pressed 
into  the  service  of  the  amorous  couple.  We  were 
shown  a  small  pocket  manual  printed  in  Spanish 
and  sold  in  the  stores  and  upon  the  streets,  con- 
taining a  printed  code  of  the  significance  of  certain 
flowers,  a  "  dumb  alphabet  "  for  the  fingers,  and 
the  meaning  of  the  several  motions  of  the  ever-ready 
fan  which,  like  a  gaudy  butterfly,  flits  before  the 
face  of  beauty.  There  is  the  rapid  flirt  which 
signifies  scorn,  another  motion  is  the  graceful  wave 
of  confidence,  an  abrupt  closing  of  the  fan  indi- 
cates vexation,  and  the  striking  of  it  into  the  palm 
of  the  hand  expresses  anger.  The  gradual  open- 
ing of  its  folds  intimates  reluctant  forgiveness,  and 
so  on.  In  short,  the  fan  can  be  more  eloquent  than 
words,  if  in  the  hands  of  a  Mexican  senorita,  stim- 
ulated by  the  watchful  eyes  and  the  adoration  of 
an  ardent  Romeo.  But  this  is  only  preliminary. 
All  parents  are  presumed  to  be  implacably  and 
absolutely  opposed  to  all  lovers'  wishes,  and  great 
diplomacy  is  consequently  required.  This  ludi- 
crous game  often  continues  for  a  twelvemonth  be- 
fore anything  is  consummated.  The  charm  of  the 


FASCINATION  OF  JALAP  A.  329 

whole  affair  with  these  people  consists  in  its  secrecy 
and  difficulties  either  real  or  assumed.  Lydia 
Languish  cared  nothing  for  Beverly  when  all  ob- 
stacles to  their  union  vanished ;  opposition  is  the 
spice  of  love. 

A  pleasant  story  is  told  of  the  attractiveness  of 
Jalapa.  It  seems  that  an  old  traveler  came  here 
to  pass  a  day,  but  was  so  fascinated  with  the 
beauty  of  the  place  and  its  surroundings,  the  fra- 
grance of  its  flowers,  the  beauty  of  its  women,  and 
the  salubrity  of  the  climate,  that  he  never  left  it 
to  the  day  of  his  death.  Every  nook  and  corner 
has  its  charming  bit  of  verdure,  its  plot  of  flowers, 
its  broad  green  banana  leaves  overhanging  some 
low,  white  wall,  or  a  tall  palm  with  its  plume-like 
top  overshadowing  a  dainty  balcony.  One  often 
hears  Jalapa  spoken  of  among  the  Mexicans  as  a 
bit  of  heaven  dropped  on  earth. 

The  great  shame  and  disgrace  of  Mexico  has 
been  the  prevalence  of  brigandage  in  the  several 
states  of  the  republic,  and  even  in  the  immediate 
environs  of  the  national  capital.  All  the  efforts 
of  the  government  for  years  have  proved  ineffec- 
tual to  suppress  this  lawlessness  until  very  lately, 
when,  for  reasons  not  very  clear  to  a  stranger,  it 
has  seemed  gradually  to  subside.  Brigandage  has 
not  only  been  a  crying  shame  to  the  country, 
but  has  paralyzed  business,  kept  visitors  away 
from  Mexico,  and  caused  her  to  lose  her  national 
credit  both  in  Europe  and  America.  People  will 
not  invest  money  in  great  enterprises  in  regions 
where  the  persons  of  their  agents  are  not  safe, 
and  where  robbery  and  kidnapping  are  every-day 


330  AZTEC  LAND. 

occurrences.  An  intelligent  native  attempted  to 
convince  the  author  that  these  highwaymen  were 
not  composed  of  native  Indians,  half-breeds,  or 
Spaniards,  but  that  they  were  mostly  made  up 
from  Italians  and  other  Europeans  who  had  been 
induced  to  leave  their  own  country  for  their  coun- 
try's good.  Our  credulity  was  not,  however,  equal 
to  this  solution.  Brigandage  was  long  chronic 
here,  and  the  brigands  were  Mexicans. 

When  the  French  army  was  here,  it  is  said  that 
General  Bazaine  had  occasion  to  be  in  the  city  at 
an  opportune  moment.  Having  heard  by  some 
chance  that  the  brigands  had  been  very  trouble- 
some hereabouts,  and  also  that  they  would  prob- 
ably stop  the  next  mail  coach  on  its  way  to  Vera 
Cruz,  he  resolved  to  give  these  outlaws  a  lesson 
which  they  would  not  soon  forget.  When  the  ex- 
pected coach  arrived,  and  while  the  mules  were 
replaced  by  fresh  ones,  the  general  ordered  the 
passengers,  some  of  whom  were  ladies,  to  remain 
in  the  hotel,  while  he  put  ten  of  his  most  daring 
Zouaves  inside  the  coach  to  fill  their  places.  These 
men  were  specially  instructed,  and  half  of  them 
were  disguised  as  women,  the  others  having  their 
uniforms  covered  from  sight.  The  driver  was 
sworn  to  secrecy  under  a  threat  of  being  shot  if  he 
disobeyed  orders,  and  was  directed  to  go  on  his 
way  as  usual.  By-and-by,  when  the  coach  had 
arrived  at  a  certain  point,  the  driver  suddenly 
drew  up  his  horses,  for  he  saw  a  row  of  muskets 
in  the  hands  of  a  dozen  men  ranged  across  the 
road,  pointing  at  him,  and  heard  the  usual  order 
to  stop.  A  moment  later  the  leader  of  these  men 


13AZAINJE  AND   THE  BRIGANDS.         331 

came  to  the  door  of  the  coach,  where  he  saw,  ap- 
parently, a  lady,  and  in  a  peremptory  voice  or- 
dered the  passengers  to  get  out  upon  the  roadway. 
The  door  being  thrown  open,  the  pseudo  woman 
who  sat  next  to  it  was  aided  to  descend  to  the 
ground  by  the  leader  of  the  brigands  on  one  side 
and  his  lieutenant  on  the  other.  At  the  instant 
this  individual  alighted,  two  simultaneous  pistol- 
shots  were  heard.  The  passenger  standing  be- 
tween the  two  robbers  had  pressed  the  triggers 
of  two  pistols,  held  one  in  his  right  and  one  in 
left  hand,  quite  unobserved.  The  leading  brigand 
together  with  his  lieutenant  fell  dead  upon  the 
road.  In  the  mean  time  the  opposite  door  of  the 
coach  had  been  quickly  opened,  whence  the  other 
nine  Zouaves,  trained  athletes,  sprang  like  cats  to 
the  ground,  each  one  selecting  his  foe  among  the 
robbers,  who,  on  their  part,  were  taken  so  com- 
pletely by  surprise  that  they  fired  their  muskets  at 
random,  while  the  Zouaves  with  their  keen  sword 
bayonets  literally  chopped  them  to  pieces.  There 
were  fourteen  of  these  gentlemen  of  the  road,  only 
one  of  whom  escaped  alive,  and  he  was  so  severely 
wounded  that  he  bled  to  death  in  a  native  hut 
among  the  hills.  There  was  no  more  brigandage, 
as  the  reader  may  well  imagine,  in  the  vicinity 
where  the  French  troops  were  stationed. 

A  small  and  rather  peculiar  party  of  Indians 
was  observed  here,  some  special  occasion  having 
lured  them  from  their  agricultural  hamlet.  They 
were  not  attached  to  any  hacienda,  but  lived  in  a 
primitive  manner,  illustrating  a  communistic  idea, 
a  practice,  it  appears,  which  is  not  uncommon 


332  AZTEC  LAND. 

among  this  class  in  some  parts  of  the  country. 
Their  cabins  are  of  adobe.  Indeed,  wooden  build- 
ings are  almost  unknown,  wood  being  seldom  used, 
even  in  the  cities,  for  inside  finish.  These  Indians 
cultivate  the  land  in  common,  and  when  the  crop 
is  gathered,  it  is  divided  after  recognized  laws  of 
their  own.  Irrigation  is  the  sole  means  of  fertiliz- 
ing, and  it  seems  to  be  all  the  soil  requires.  They 
plough  with  oxen,  using  a  crooked  stick,  which 
method,  several  times  alluded  to,  is  not  so  very 
surprising  when  we  remember  that  the  Egyptian 
fellah  uses  a  similar  instrument  to-day,  and  irri- 
gates the  soil  by  means  of  buckets  worked  by 
hand.  The  women  of  the  group  of  whom  we  are 
speaking  were  bareheaded,  and  wore  their  long, 
straight,  black  hair  in  braids  hanging  down  over 
their  naked  shoulders,  their  arms  being  bare,  and 
also  their  legs  to  the  knee.  A  loose  cotton  tunic 
and  short  petticoat  formed  their  dress.  The  men 
wore  straw  hats  with  tall  crowns,  their  broad  brims 
throwing  their  swarthy  faces  into  deep  shadow. 
Unbleached  cotton  shirts  and  drawers  of  the  same 
reaching  to  the  knees  completed  the  costume. 
Some  wore  leather  sandals,  but  most  were  bare- 
footed. There  were  a  few  children  among  them, 
all  slung  to  the  mothers'  backs,  and  quite  naked. 

Between  the  lofty  peak  of  Orizaba  and  the  Cofre 
de  Perote,  there  exists  many  traces  of  a  very  numer- 
ous native  population,  who  must  have  occupied  the 
country  long  previous  to  the  advent  of  the  Spanish 
conquerors.  Not  even  tradition  tells  us  anything 
about  this  locality,  which  is  abundantly  supplied 
with  water,  is  fertile  to  an  extraordinary  degree, 


A  FORMER  CIVILIZATION.  333 

and  possesses  a  healthy  climate.  That  extensive 
and  intelligent  cultivation  of  the  soil  was  carried 
on  here  at  some  period  of  the  past  is  clearly  shown 
by  numberless  remains.  The  fact  that  oak  trees 
four  feet  in  diameter  are  found  growing  over  the 
stone  foundations  of  ruined  dwellings  proves  that 
many  centuries  have  passed  since  the  population 
disappeared.  The  remains  of  the  dwellings  are  all 
of  stone  laid  without  mortar,  arranged  in  streets, 
or  in  groups.  A  series  of  pyramids  of  stone  are 
also  found  here,  the  largest  of  which  is  over  fifty 
feet  in  height,  and  the  smallest  not  over  ten  or 
twelve  feet,  the  last  seeming  to  have  been  designed 
for  tombs.  Several  of  these  have  been  opened  and 
found  to  contain  skeletons  and  elaborately  orna- 
mented burial  urns.  The  locality  referred  to  is  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  sierra  towards  the  coast  be- 
tween Orizaba  and  Jalapa. 

Our  next  objective  point  is  the  city  of  Mexico, 
to  reach  which  from  Jalapa  we  return  to  Vera 
Cruz,  though  not  necessarily,  taking  the  railway 
from  the  port  through  Orizaba  and  Puebla.  As 
we  have  been  over  this  route  with  the  reader,  let 
us  pass  on  to  places  which  we  have  not  yet  spoken 
of.  At  the  national  capital  we  once  more  take 
passage  on  the  Mexican  Central  Railway  north- 
northwest  to  Guadalajara,  the  capital  of  the  State 
of  Jalisco.  This  growing  and  prosperous  city  is 
reached  by  a  branch  road  from  Irapuato,  being 
that  which  is  designed  ultimately  to  reach  the  Pa- 
cific at  San  Bias.  One  hundred  and  sixty  miles 
of  this  branch  road  is  completed.  Guadalajara  is 
three  hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  the  city  of 


334  AZTEC  LAND. 

Mexico,  situated  in  a  pleasant  valley  six  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  with  a  population  of  one  hun- 
dred thousand,  stating  it  in  round  numbers.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  we  are  now  on  what  is 
called  the  Mexican  plateau.  The  Indian  name  of 
the  valley  is  Alemaxac.  As  to  temperature,  we 
found  that  the  annual  mean  was  70°  Fahr.,  but  our 
thermometer  gave  us  90°  Fahr.  nearly  all  the  time 
during  our  stay,  and  even  at  midnight  it  did  not 
fall  below  82°.  A  small  river,  San  Juan  de  Dios, 
runs  through  the  town  about  its  middle,  in  a 
charmingly  crooked  fashion.  In  coming  hither  we 
pass  through  the  valley  of  the  Rio  Lerma,  one  of 
the  best  developed  regions  as  regards  agriculture  in 
the  entire  republic.  The  route  takes  us  through 
some  populous  towns  and  many  interesting  vil- 
lages, also  near  to  the  famous  Lake  Chapala,  the 
largest  body  of  water  in  Mexico,  sixty  miles  long 
and  over  fifteen  in  width. 

Guadalajara  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  cities 
in  the  country,  and  is  the  second  in  point  of  popu- 
lation, supporting  an  admirable  school  system 
worthy  of  all  commendation.  It  has  numerous 
public  squares,  besides  the  Plaza  Mayor  and  a  fine 
alameda.  The  plaza  is  about  three  hundred  feet 
long  and  of  nearly  the  same  width,  one  side  occu- 
pied by  the  cathedral,  another  by  the  state  build- 
ings, and  on  the  two  remaining  sides  is  a  line  of 
arches  in  which  are  some  of  the  most  attractive 
stores  of  the  town.  A  large  number  of  the  public 
buildings  are  of  modern  construction,  including  the 
governor's  palace,  the  municipal  palace,  the  mint, 
and  other  edifices,  all  fronting,  as  usual,  on  the 


CATHEDRAL  IN  GUADALAJARA.  335 

Plaza  Mayor.  The  only  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  in 
the  country,  outside  of  the  city  of  Mexico,  is  to  be 
found  here,  and  it  is  in  a  highly  flourishing  condi- 
tion, a  large  local  interest  being  pledged  to  its  sup- 
port. It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  decide  in  one's 
own  mind  which  of  the  two  cities,  Puebla  or  Gua- 
dalajara, should  rank  next  to  the  city  of  Mexico  in 
wealth,  general  interest,  and  commercial  impor- 
tance. Both  are  progressive  capitals,  remarkably 
so  for  this  country. 

The  grand  cathedral  was  finished  in  1618,  hav- 
ing a  noble  facade,  a  graceful  dome,  and  two  lofty 
towers  partly  covered  with  enameled  tiles.  The 
front  is  richly  carved,  and  ornamented  by  fluted 
pillars.  The  interior  of  the  dome  is  as  finely  fres- 
coed as  the  famous  church  of  Burgos,  in  Spain, 
or  that  of  the  church  of  St.  John,  in  the  island  of 
Malta.  Of  this  latter  church  it  strongly  reminded 
us.  The  great  altar  is  finished  in  white  and  gold. 
A  narrow  gallery  of  gilded  metal  runs  around  the 
entire  building  on  a  level  with  the  capitals  of  the 
pillars  which  support  the  roof.  It  seems  that  dur- 
ing religious  services  here  a  few  years  ago,  two 
of  the  organists  were  struck  by  lightning  while 
playing  and  instantly  killed.  The  towers  of  the 
cathedral  show  some  evidence  of  having  been  dis- 
turbed by  an  earthquake,  which  occurred  in  1818. 
There  are  thirty  churches  in  all  in  Gaudalajara, 
and,  like  the  other  public  buildings,  they  are  un- 
usually fine. 

This  is  quite  an  ancient  city,  having  been 
founded  in  1541.  Manufacturing  is  carried  on  to 
a  considerable  extent;  among  the  articles  produced 


836  AZTEC  LAND. 

are  fine  pottery,  cotton  cloth,  silk,  rebosas,  musical 
instruments,  and  leather  goods.  The  native  In- 
dian race  hereabouts,  and,  indeed,  in  places  further 
south,  are  great  adepts,  as  already  explained,  in 
the  manufacture  of  antiquities.  We  saw  here 
some  remarkably  fine  examples  of  pottery,  designed 
and  finished  by  native  artists  who  had  never  en- 
joyed an  hour's  instruction.  It  was  the  result  of 
an  inborn  artistic  taste.  The  lace-like  drawn- 
work  produced  by  the  Indian  women  from  fine 
linen  rivals  the  best  work  of  the  kind  which  comes 
from  South  America,  where  the  natives  have  long 
been  famous  for  fine  work  in  this  special  line. 

The  Hospicio  San  Miguel  de  Belen  is  a  very 
comprehensive  and  well-conducted  establishment, 
containing  a  hospital  proper,  with  male  and  female 
wards,  a  lunatic  asylum,  and  a  primai'y  school. 
Other  evidences  of  keeping  pace  with  the  times 
were  seen  in  the  presence  of  the  telephone,  electric 
lights,  and  a  good  system  of  tramways.  The  envi- 
rons of  the  city  are  justly  famous"  for  many  beauti- 
ful gardens  and  a  grand  paseo  shaded  by  noble 
trees,  mostly  elms,  with  broad,  spreading  limbs 
and  of  great  age.  The  Campo  Santo  is  not  unlike 
that  at  Vera  Cruz,  the  bodies  being  deposited  in 
niches  built  in  the  thick  walls  about  the  grounds. 
Some  of  the  monumental  tombs  are  of  a  very  im- 
pressive and  beautiful  character. 

Another  remarkable  and  very  interesting  insti- 
tution of  this  city  is  the  Hospicio  de  Guadalajara, 
situated  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  small  stream 
which  flows  through  the  town.  It  is  approached 
by  a  wide,  handsome  avenue  lined  with  orange- 


AN  ADMIRABLE  ASYLUM.  337 

trees.  The  edifice  covers  eight  acres,  being  con- 
structed about  numerous  open  ai'eas  which  are 
utilized  as  gardens,  devoted  to  raising  flowers  and 
fruits,  each  also  ornamented  by  a  cheerful  foun- 
tain. There  are  over  twenty  of  these  courts  within 
the  grounds,  from  which  broad,  high  corridors 
open,  which  traverse  the  several  departments  of 
the  institution.  Mangoes,  oranges,  and  bananas 
thrive  on  the  trees  in  these  patios,  and  such  an 
abundance  of  red  and  white  roses,  in  such  mam- 
moth sizes,  we  have  rarely  seen.  The  sister  who 
acted  as  our  guide  through  the  spacious  edifice  in- 
sisted upon  plucking  them  freely  and  presenting 
them  to  the  ladies  of  the  party.  There  is  a  spa- 
cious and  fine  chapel  within  the  group  of  build- 
ings, as  capacious  as  an  ordinary  church.  Its 
lofty  dome  is  beautifully  frescoed,  and  many  fine 
oil  paintings  adorn  the  walls.  Hundreds  of  chil- 
dren, ranging  from  babyhood  to  twelve  years,  were 
seen  in  the  various  departments,  where  everything 
was  scrupulously  neat  and  clean.  This  admirable 
Hospicio  is  used  as  an  asylum  for  foundlings,  a 
home  for  the  blind,  and  also  for  the  deaf  and 
dumb,  besides  which  there  is  here  provided  a 
home  for  the  infirm  who  are  unable  to  support 
themselves.  This  very  worthy  institution  presents 
an  imposing  appearance,  with  its  lofty  dome  and 
pillared  portico  facing  the  broad,  tree-lined  avenue 
which  leads  up  to  its  spacious  doors. 

There  is  a  bull-ring  and  two  theatres  here.  The 
favorite  promenade  is  the  paseo,  which  runs  for 
over  a  mile  within  the  city  proper,  terminating  at 
the  alamcda.  Gambling,  next  to  the  bull-fight,  is 


338  AZTEC  LAND. 

the  average  Mexican's  delight,  and  just  outside  the 
thoroughfare  of  the  alameda  all  sorts  of  games  of 
chance  prevail.  As  government  legalizes  the  lot- 
tery-ticket business,  it  opens  the  door  for  much 
gambling.  Ten  per  cent,  of  the  gross  receipts  of 
all  lottery  enterprises  goes  into  the  national  treas- 
ury. Even  blind  men  were  seen  selling  lottery 
tickets,  and  when  it  was  suggested  that  they  were 
liable  to  be  cheated  by  unscrupulous  purchasers, 
the  reply  was  that  such  an  act  would  surely  bring 
ill  luck,  and  no  ticket  bought  under  such  circum- 
stances could  possibly  draw  a  prize !  This  was 
repeated  to  us  as  being  the  sentiment  governing 
the  throng  of  humble  purchasers.  The  Mexicans 
of  the  lower  class  are  very  superstitious,  and  will 
often  pay  a  young  and  innocent  child  a  trifle  to 
select  a  ticket  for  them,  believing  that  good  luck 
may  thus  be  secured. 

A  short  trip  by  tramway  will  take  the  traveler 
to  the  suburb  of  San  Pedro,  where  the  native  In- 
dians produce  a  species  of  pottery  which  is  both 
curious  and  artistic,  each  one  working  indepen- 
dently in  his  adobe  cabin.  One  often  detects  an 
article  which  genius  alone  could  originate  and  pro- 
duce. The  work  is  done  solely  by  hand,  the  work- 
men employing  only  the  most  primitive  methods. 
Some  of  the  vases  and  jars  are  identical  with  those 
one  finds  in  Egypt,  finely  glazed,  and  enameled  in 
colors  which  are  burned  in  by  the  maker.  These 
wares  are  so  well  appreciated  by  strangers  that 
the  peons  realize  good  prices  for  their  skill ;  and 
travelers  take  home  with  them  mementoes  worthy 
of  being-  placed  in  the  best  collections  of  pottery. 


EVENING  OF  GOOD  FEIDAY.  339 

On  the  evening  of  Good  Friday  the  spacious 
plaza  of  Guadalajara  was  thronged  with  the  citi- 
zens, men  and  women,  peons  as  well  as  the  better 
classes,  the  former  scrupulously  keeping  within 
certain  limits,  while  the  ladies  and  gentlemen 
promenaded  upon  the  broad  path  encircling  the 
plaza,  beneath  the  shade  of  orange-trees  and  amid 
a  rose-scented  atmosphere.  The  moon  was  near 
its  full,  but  the  electric  lamps  rivaled  its  serene 
bi-illiancy,  and  the  stars  were  outshone.  When 
the  hands  on  the  illumined  clock  over  the  gov- 
ernor's palace  pointed  to  half-past  eight,  the  mili- 
tary band,  placed  in  the  central  pagoda,  with  sol- 
dierly promptness  struck  up  a  grand  and  elaborate 
anthem.  The  thirty  performers  were  skillful  mu- 
sicians, and  the  effect  was  admirable.  They  were 
all  swarthy  natives,  descendants  of  the  Aztecs,  but 
fully  able  to  compete  with  the  average  French, 
German,  or  American  musicians.  The  throng 
passed  and  repassed  each  other  on  the  gayly 
lighted  paths,  or  seated  themselves  in  a  broad  cir- 
cle about  the  plaza.  Merry  children,  nicely 
dressed,  romped  hither  and  thither,  now  and  again 
coming  up  pleasantly  to  greet  the  strangers,  and 
making  the  most  of  the  few  words  of  English  at 
their  command,  while  the  big  fountain  kept  up  its 
delightfully-cooling  notes,  heard  in  the  intervals  of 
the  music.  There  were  thousands  of  natives  and 
foreigners  promenading  hither  and  thither  about 
the  great  square  and  in  the  plaza,  forming  a  gay 
and  impressive  scene  until  nearly  midnight.  There 
is  a  holiday  gayety  about  life  in  this  southern 
clime  which  is  quite  infectious. 


340  AZTEC  LAND. 

The  fascination  of  the  scene ;  the  delights  of  a 
land  of  perpetual  sunshine ;  the  charming  surface 
aspect  of  everything- :  the  rank,  luxuriant  vegeta- 
tion ;  the  perfume  of  flowers  mingling  with  the 
delightful  music  that  floated  upon  the  air  in  such 
an  hour  as  we  have  described,  —  all  these  did  not 
blind  the  moral  sense,  though  for  the  moment  the 
physical  powers  were  led  captive.  One  pauses  to 
review  the  aimless  lives  of  these  indolent  but  beau- 
tiful women,  and  the  useless  career  of  the  men 
who  form  the  upper  class.  It  is  natural  to  con- 
trast the  lives  of  such  with  that  of  the  abject  poor, 
the  half-starved,  half-naked  masses  who  hung  about 
the  outer  lines  of  the  assembled  throng  on  the 
plaza ;  men  and  women  living  a  mere  animal  ex- 
istence, and  yet  who  represented  such  grand  and 
noble  possibilities.  Ah !  the  puzzle  of  it  all ! 
Who  can  solve  the  riddle?  Lazarus  and  Dives 
jostle  each  other  not  alone  in  Guadalajara,  but  all 
over  the  world. 

In  this  city,  on  the  Saturday  following  Good 
Friday,  occurred  what  is  here  termed  "Judas 
Iscariot  Day,"  when  the  concentrated  vengeance 
of  the  Christian  world  is  supposed  to  be  visited 
upon  the  vile  betrayer  of  his  Master.  The  whole 
object  of  the  occasion  is  to  Leap  contumely,  deri- 
sion, and  dishonor  upon  the  name  of  Judas.  Ex- 
tensive preparations  are  made  a  week  or  more 
before  the  special  day.  The  town  presented  an 
appearance  similar  to  the  Fourth  of  July  in  the 
United  States.  The  streets  were  full  of  temporary 
booths,  and  all  the  inhabitants  were  out  of  doors. 
Figures  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  long,  made  of 


JUDAS  ISCAEIOT  DAY.  341 

paper,  rags,  or  other  combustible  material,  in  va- 
rious colors,  representing  Judas,  and  stuffed  with 
firecrackers  and  powder,  were  sold  to  men  and 
boys,  to  be  fired  at  the  proper  time.  Some  of 
these  figures  were  of  life  size,  containing  rockets 
and  blue  lights.  Judas  was  represented  with  folded 
hands,  arms  akimbo,  with  legs  in  a  running  pos- 
ture, and,  in  short,  in  every  conceivable  attitude. 
Some  of  the  larger  figures  bore  mottoes  about 
their  necks  in  Spanish,  such  as  "  I  am  a  scion  of 
the  Devil;"  another,  "I  am  about  to  die  for  my 
treachery  ;  "  and  a  third,  "  I  have  no  friends,  and 
deserve  none,"  "  Let  me  give  up  the  ghost,"  etc. 
Hundreds  of  these  toy  figures  were  tied  to  a  rope, 
and  hung  across  the  thoroughfares  at  the  height  of 
the  second  story,  reaching  from  one  balcony  to  an- 
other. Small  pyramids  were  raised  for  them  and 
of  them  in  the  open  squares.  People  carried  hoops 
of  Judases  elevated  on  the  top  of  a  long  pole. 
Some  men  had  a  single  large  figure  with  the  con- 
ventional Judas  face  dressed  in  harlequin  colors. 
Everybody  on  the  streets  had  at  least  one  .toy 
Judas,  and  some  had  a  dozen. 

Finally,  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  forenoon  of  Judas 
day,  the  great  bell  of  the  cathedral  sounds,  a  score 
of  other  church  bells  follow  suit,  and  the  matches 
are  applied  to  the  fuses  with  which  each  emblem- 
atic figure  is  supplied.  Young  Mexico  is  almost 
crazed.  Old  Mexico  approves  and  participates. 
Everybody  is  elated  to  the  highest  point.  Side- 
walks and  balconies  are  crowded  with  both  sexes. 
Senoras  and  seiloritas  are  hilarious,  and  little 
children  clap  their  hands.  The  noise  of  the  bells 


342  AZTEC  LAND. 

is  great,  that  of  firecrackers,  rockets,  and  fuses  is 
greater,  and  the  shouts  of  the  excited  multitude 
who  swarm  about  the  Plaza  Mayor  is  the  greatest 
of  all.  People  become  mentally  intoxicated  with 
intense  excitement.  The  large  Judases  in  explod- 
ing go  to  pieces,  first  losing  one  arm,  then  a  leg, 
followed  by  another  arm,  until  at  last  the  body 
bursts  into  fragments,  at  which  one  universal  shout 
rends  the  air.  The  small  Judases  keep  up  their 
snapping  and  explosions  for  an  hour  or  more.  At 
last  Judas  is  utterly  demolished,  literally  done  for. 
Then  the  bells  cease  ringing,  and  the  overwrought 
people  gradually  subside.  The  whole  is  a  queer, 
strange  piece  of  ludicrous  mockery,  ending  as  a 
good-natured  annual  frolic. 


CHAPTER   XYIII. 

Santa  Rosalia.  —  Mineral  Springs.  —  Chihuahua.  —  A  Peculiar 
City.  —  Cathedral.  —  Expensive  Bells.  —  Aqueduct.  —  Ala- 
meda.  —  Hidalgo's  Prison  and  his  Fate.  —  Eulalia.  —  A  Large 
State.  —  A  Grand  Avenue  of  Trees.  —  Local  Artists.  —  Gro- 
tesque Signs.  —  Influence  of  Proximity  to  the  United  States.  — 
Native  Villages.  —  Dangerous  Sand-Spouts.  —  Reflections  on 
Approaching  the  Frontier.  —  Pleasant  Pictures  photographed 
upon  the  Memory.  —  Juarez,  the  Border  Town  of  Mexico.  — 
City  of  El  Paso,  Texas.  —  Railroad  Interests.  —  Crossing  the 
Rio  Grande.  —  Greeted  by  the  Stars  and  Stripes. 

SANTA  ROSALIA  is  a  quiet,  quaint  old  place, 
with  six  or  seven  thousand  inhabitants ;  but,  be- 
ing on  the  direct  line  of  the  Mexican  Central  Rail- 
road, it  is  sure  to  rapidly  increase  in  numbers  and 
in  material  prosperity.  Though  it  is  now  scarcely 
more  than  a  country  village,  still  it  has  its  plaza 
and  its  alameda,  in  the  former  of  which  a  military 
band  performs  two  evenings  in  each  week.  A 
couple  of  small  but  most  valuable  rivers,  the  Rio 
Conchos  and  the  Rio  Florido,  flank  the  town  and 
afford  excellent  means  for  irrigation,  which  are 
improved  to  the  utmost,  the  effects  of  which  are 
clearly  visible  to  the  most  casual  observer,  in  the 
delightful  verdure  and  the  promise  of  teeming  crops. 
The  place  has  a  most  equable  climate,  for  which 
reason  many  northern  invalids  suffering  from  pul- 
monary troubles  have  come  hither  annually.  A 
few  miles  west  of  Santa  Rosalia  are  mineral  springs 


344  AZTEC  LAND. 

believed  to  possess  great  curative  properties,  espe- 
cially in  diseases  of  a  rheumatic  type.  There  are 
yet  no  comfortable  accommodations  for  invalids, 
but  we  were  told  that  it  was  contemplated  to  build 
a  moderate  cost  hotel  at  this  point.  The  ruins  of 
the  fort  captured  by  the  American  army  on  its 
way  to  join  General  Taylor  are  seen  near  Santa 
Rosalia. 

Still  pursuing  our  northward  course,  bearing  a 
little  westerly,  over  an  immense  desert  tract  so 
devoid  of  water  that  the  railway  train  is  obliged 
to  transport  large  cisterns  on  freight  cars  to  supply 
the  necessary  article  for  the  use  of  its  locomotive, 
we  finally  reach  Chihuahua,  —  pronounced   Chee- 
waw-waw,  —  capital  of  the  state  of  the  same  name. 
One  would  think  this  immediate  region  must  be 
well  watered,  as  we  cross  several  rivers  while  in 
the  state.     Among  them  the  Florido,  at  Jimenez  ; 
the  Coucho,  just  north  of  Santa  Rosalia;  the  San 
Pedro,  at    Ortiz,  and  the  Chubisca,  near  to  the 
city  of  Chihuahua.     This  name  is  aboriginal,  and 
signifies  "  The  place  where  things  are  made."     It 
was  founded  in  1539,  and  lies  upon  a  wide,  open 
plain  at  the  base  of  the  Sierra  Madre,  whose  undu- 
lating heights  are  exquisitely  outlined  in  various 
hues  against  the  sky,  and  beneath  whose  surfaces 
are  hidden  rich  veins  of  iron,  copper,  and  silver. 
The  valley  extends  towards  the  north  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach.     It  is  looking  southward  that  we 
see  the  disordered  ranks  of  the  mountain  range. 
When  we  first  came  upon  the  town,  it  rested  be- 
neath a  cloudless  sky,  bathed  in  a  flood  of  warm, 
bright  sunlight.     We  were  told  that  these  are  the 


CHIHUAHUA.  345 

prevailing  conditions  for  seven  months  of  the  year. 
This  is  on  the  main  line  of  the  Mexican  Central 
Railroad,  a  thousand  miles,  more  or  less,  north  of 
the  city  of  Mexico,  and  has  a  population  of  about 
eighteen  or  twenty  thousand  ;  but,  like  most  of  the 
Mexican  cities,  it  once  contained  a  much  larger 
number  of  inhabitants  than  it  can  boast  of  to-day. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  American  forcss, 
in  the  year  1847,  advanced  upon  and  took  posses- 
sion of  the  city  after  the  battle  of  Sacramento, 
which  occurred  February  28  of  that  year.  This 
was  the  force  commanded  by  Colonel  Doniphan, 
and  from  here  it  made  the  celebrated  march  south- 
ward, forming  a  junction  with  the  division  of  Gen- 
eral Taylor. 

The  city  presents  a  pleasing  and  thrifty  aspect, 
though  most  of  the  houses  are  but  one  story  in 
height  and  constructed  of  adobe,  with  low,  flat 
roofs,  very  much  like  an  Egyptian  town,  —  a 
comparison  which  is  constantly  occurring  to  us  in 
Mexico.  The  patios  of  the  better  class  of  houses 
are  ornamented  with  flowering  plants,  and  pets  of 
all  sorts,  especially  birds,  are  numerous,  the  favor- 
ite species  being  the  mocking-bird.  One  patio 
we  noticed  full  to  repletion  of  tame  pigeons,  blue, 
black,  white,  and  mottled  fan  tails.  The  state  and 
government  buildings,  the  mint  with  its  low,  square 
tower,  and  a  few  other  edifices  arc  large  and  hand- 
some stmctures.  In  the  tower  of  the  mint  the 
patriot  Hidalgo  was  confined,  with  three  of  his 
comrades,  previous  to  their  execution.  They  were 
shot  here  July  31,  1811.  In  the  Plaza  do  Armas 
there  stands  a  fine  monument  to  the  memory  of 


346  AZTEC  LAND. 

Hidalgo.  The  cathedral,  the  shell  of  which  cost 
over  eight  hundred  thousand  dollars,  stands  on  one 
side  of  the  plaza,  an  area  ornamented  as  usual 
with  beautiful  trees  and  flowers,  together  with  a 
large  fountain  in  the  centre,  about  which  are  wind- 
ing paths,  and  benches  whereon  to  enjoy  the  shade. 
This  is  a  delightful  resort  in  the  evening,  when 
the  music-loving  populace  are  regaled  with  the  ad- 
mirable performance  of  a  Mexican  military  band 
three  or  four  times  a  week.  The  cathedral  is  of 
the  Moorish  and  Gothic  orders  combined,  and  it 
has  considerable  architectural  merit,  bearing  upon 
its  rather  crudely  ornamented  front  thirteen  stat- 
ues, representing  San  Francisco  and  the  twelve 
apostles.  The  interior  was  found  to  contain  some 
interesting  and  valuable  oil-paintings,  though  we 
saw  them  in  an  extremely  bad  light.  The  towers 
of  this  cathedral  are  remarkable  for  a  costly  col- 
lection of  bells,  and  the  interior  of  the  church  for 
a  series  of  magnificent  carvings.  One  of  these 
bells  is  pointed  out  to  the  visitor  as  having  been 
broken  by  a  cannon-ball  during  the  bombardment 
of  the  town  by  the  French  in  1866.  The  other 
sides  of  the  plaza  are  bordered  by  the  state  build- 
ings and  the  best  stores  of  the  town. 

The  gray,  crumbling  line  of  an  arched  stone 
aqueduct,  built  long  ago  to  supply  the  town  with 
water,  forms  a  picturesque  feature  of  the  environs. 
There  is  an  admirably  kept  alameda  for  public 
enjoyment,  divided  by  four  rows  of  ancient  cotton- 
wood-trees,  some  of  which  are  five  feet  in  diameter. 
The  Rio  Chubisca  flows  through  the  city.  Crops 
are  raised  solely  by  liberal  irrigation ;  water  is  the 


SILVER  MINES  OF  EULALIA.  347 

one  thing  most  needed  on  this  high,  flat  land.  Some 
of  the  finest  grapes  in  Mexico  are  raised  in  great 
abundance  here,  and  are  shipped  both  to  the  south 
and  across  the  border  into  our  own  country.  A 
very  large  share  of  the  republic,  with  its  volcanic 
soil,  is  admirably  adapted  to  this  industry.  Fif- 
teen miles  from  Chihuahua  are  the  rich  silver 
mines  of  Eulalia.  The  road  thither  is  a  rough 
one,  but  many  persons  enjoy  the  excursion,  over 
what  at  first  sight  seems  to  be  a  plain  of  lava, 
though  as  there  is  no  volcano  visible,  one  is  a  little 
at  fault  in  divining  from  whence  it  came.  We  were 
told  finally  that  it  was  slag  from  the  workings  of 
the  mines  at  Eulalia,  and  that  more  modern  pro- 
cesses of  disintegration  and  amalgamation  might 
extract  good  pay  in  silver  from  these  "  tailings," 
now  spread  broadcast  for  many  miles  on  the  sur" 
face  of  the  plain.  Santa  Eulalia  is  a  rude  hamlet 
lying  among  the  mountains,  with  a  very  humble 
mining  population  and  a  small  stone  church. 
There  are  over  two  hundred  mines  in  and  about 
these  hills,  all  of  which  have  been  worked  more  or 
less  successfully. 

This  state,  by  the  way,  is  the  largest  in  the  re- 
public, being  about  the  size  of  New  York  and 
Pennsylvania  combined.  To  be  exact,  the  state  is 
four  hundred  and  thirty  miles  long  from  north  to 
south,  and  three  hundred,  thirty-seven  miles  wide, 
It  is  famous  for  its  many  sheep  and  cattle  ranches, 
affording,  as  it  does,  great  advantages  for  stock- 
raising.  Large  herds  are  driven  over  the  borders 
into  our  own  country  every  season,  and  sold  to 
American  herdsmen,  to  be  driven  still  further 


348  AZTEC  LAND. 

north  and  fattened  for  the  eastern  and  northern 
markets.  There  is  a  quaint,  oriental  aspect  about, 
the  adobe-built  town  which  would  prove  very  at- 
tractive to  an  artist's  eye.  One  tree-embowered 
roadway  attracted  our  attention,  which  so  strik- 
ingly resembled  the  Beacon  Street  Mall  in  Boston 
as  to  call  forth  remarks  to  that  effect  from  more 
than  one  of  our  party.  It  is  known  as  the  Calle  de 
Guadalupe.  The  deep  shadow  of  the  long  gothic 
arch,  formed  by  the  entwined  branches,  was  exqui- 
site in  effect.  In  the  busy  portion  of  the  town, 
groups  of  Indians,  wrapped  in  bright-colored  blan- 
kets, added  variety  to  the  scene. 

Wood  carvings  and  wax  figures  from  the  hands 
of  intelligent  native  artists,  —  for  artists  they  are 
—  come  so  near  to  one's  ideas  of  perfection  as  to 
be  a  surprise.  This  artistic  genius  was  also  ob- 
served among  the  humbler  classes  further  south, 
and  is  by  no  means  confined  to  the  neighborhood 
of  Chihuahua.  After  a  few  moments  of  watchful 
observation  of  even  a  stranger,  some  of  these  In- 
dians will  retire,  and  in  an  almost  incredibly  brief 
space  of  time  will  return  with  an  excellent  likeness 
of  the  individual  whom  they  design  to  represent, 
not  merely  as  regards  his  ordinary  physique,  but 
in  facial  expression.  Practice  has  made  them  quite 
perfect  in  this  impromptu  modeling.  Chihuahua, 
if  we  may  credit  the  historians,  as  well  as  judge  by 
the  remains,  once  had  a  population  of  two  hundred 
thousand. 

A  singular  and  most  disagreeable  custom  was 
observed  here  which  prevails  in  some  other  Mexi- 
can cities  :  that  of  placing  fantastic  signs,  painted 


MODERN  BUILDINGS.  349 

in  gigantic  size,  on  the  outside  of  shops.  These 
are  grotesque  representations  of  the  business  car- 
ried on  within.  It  would  seem  as  though  the  ob- 
ject was  to  ridicule  the  proprietor's  occupation  by 
the  vulgarity  of  these  signs.  Be  this  as  it  may, 
the  inevitable  half  dozen  pulque  drinkers  lean  upon 
the  counter  all  the  while,  absorbing  the  liquid 
which  brings  insensibility.  As  they  drop  off  one 
by  one,  their  places  are  taken  by  others,  who  are 
promptly  supplied  by  the  plethoric  bar-tender.  In 
the  plaza  peons  were  offering  for  sale  a  very  small 
species  of  dog  indigenous  to  this  district,  tiny  crea- 
tures, peculiarly  marked  and  evidently  stunted  by 
some  artificial  means.  However,  some  of  our  party 
were  captivated,  and  became  purchasers  of  the 
delicate  little  tremulous  creatures.  Considerable 
building  was  observed  to  be  in  progress  here,  not 
structures  of  adobe,  but  fine  stone  edifices,  of  an 
attractive  and  modern  style  of  architecture,  three 
stories  in  height.  One  of  these  was  designed  for 
a  hotel,  and  would  be  an  ornament  to  any  city. 

Though  Chihuahua  is  two  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  miles  south  of  the  Rio  Grande,  still  it  shows 
many  signs  of  its  proximity  to  this  country.  Such 
buildings  as  we  have  just  referred  to  would  not  be 
thought  of  in  middle  or  southern  Mexico.  Amer- 
ican fashions  in  many  things  are  obvious  ;  a  large 
portion  of  the  population  speak  English  ;  the  faces 
of  the  common  people  evince  more  intelligence  :  and 
the  masses  are  better  clothed  than  they  are  a  little 
further  south.  We  found  that  free  schools  were 
established  and  other  matters  of  higher  civilization 
were  in  progress.  Many  of  the  customs  prevailing 

I 


350  AZTEC  LAND. 

north  of  the  national  boundary  line  have  been 
adopted  here.  The  universal  burro  of  Mexico 
begins  to  disappear,  and  strong,  shapely  mules  and 
large  horses  take  his  place.  Beggars  are  few  and 
far  between. 

There  is  very  little  of  interest  to  engage  the 
traveler's  attention  on  the  route  of  the  Mexican 
Central  Railroad  between  Chihuahua  and  Juarez, 
formerly  known*  as  Paso  del  Norte.  The  country 
is  quite  sterile,  varied  by  occasional  long,  tedious 
reaches  of  cactus  and  mesquite  bushes,  or  a  few  cot- 
ton  wood -trees  wherever  a  water-course  is  found. 
The  mesquite  grows  to  the  height  of  ten  or  twelve 
feet.  The  seeds  are  contained  in  a  small  pod,  and 
are  used  by  the  natives  to  make  a  sort  of  bread 
which  is  sweet  to  the  taste.  The  wood  is  extremely 
hard  and  heavy.  At  long  distances  apart  a  native 
village  comes  into  view,  composed  of  low,  square, 
adobe  cabins.  The  treeless  character  of  this  sec- 
tion of  country  is  not  without  a  depressing  influ- 
ence, while  the  want  of  water  is  only  too  manifest 
everywhere.  Sometimes  one  sees  for  hours  a  fairly 
good  grazing  country,  and,  where  water  is  avail- 
able, some  cereals  are  raised.  Corn,  wheat,  and 
barley  occasionally  form  broad  expanses  of  delight- 
ful green.  Still,  only  the  most  primitive  means  of 
agriculture  are  in  use,  reminding  the  observer  of 
the  unfulfilled  possibilities  of  the  really  capable 
soil.  Where  these  fertile  districts  are  seen,  the 
results  are  brought  about  by  the  same  irrigating 
ditches  that  the  aborigines  used  more  than  three 
hundred  years  ago.  The  touch  of  moisture  is  like 
the  enchanter's  wand.  In  California,  water  is  con- 


SAND-SPOUTS.  351 

veyed  thirty,  forty,  and  even  fifty  miles,  by  means 
of  ditch  and  flume ;  here  the  sources  of  supply  are 
not  usually  half  the  first-named  distance  away. 
Grapes  are  grown,  as  at  Chihuahua,  in  great  abun- 
dance, the  soil  seeming  to  be  particularly  adapted 
to  their  cultivation.  Many  tons  of  the  big  purple 
fruit  are  regularly  converted  into  wines  of  different 
brands,  said  to  be  fully  equal  to  the  product  of 
California. 

As  the  sea  has  its  water-spouts,  so  the  land  has 
its  sand-spouts,  whereby  the  whirlwinds,  forming 
on  and  sweeping  over  the  barren  plains,  gather  up 
the  soil  and  rush  circling  along  with  it  for  miles, 
sustaining  the  mass  in  the  air,  two  hundred  feet 
or  more  in  height.  This  phenomenon  was  often 
observed  while  traveling  on  the  Mexican  plateau. 
Sometimes,  as  has  already  been  said,  half  a  dozen 
were  seen  at  a  time.  Between  Chihuahua  and 
Juarez  they  were  again  observed.  The  course  of 
these  dusty  pillars  of  sand  was  generally  towards 
the  foothills  of  the  high  ranges.  The  moment 
any  large  obstacle  is  encountered,  as  is  the  case 
with  a  water-spout  at  sea,  they  are  at  once  broken 
and  disappear.  Any  ordinary  cabin  or  other  frail 
building  which  is  struck  by  a  sand-spout  is  pretty 
sure  to  be  demolished.  This  might  not  always 
follow,  as  they  move  with  different  degrees  of 
force,  some  being  vastly  more  powerful  than 
others.  Trees  are  not  infrequently  broken  and 
destroyed  by  them.  We  were  told  that  horses  and 
cattle  exposed  upon  the  plain  were  sometimes  taken 
up  in  the  suction  of  air  caused  by  their  progress, 
carried  a  hundred  rods  or  more,  and  then  dropped 


352  AZTEC  LAND. 

to  the  ground  lifeless.  Other  stories  were  heard 
of  the  erratic  performances  of  sand-spouts  on  the 
Mexican  plateau,  but  they  were  of  a  nature  requir- 
ing too  much  credulity  for  us  to  repeat  them  in 
these  pages. 

As  one  approaches  the  frontier,  a  feeling  of  re- 
gret steals  over  the  traveler  that  he  is  hourly  leav- 
ing behind  him  a  country  in  which  so  much  delight 
has  been  briefly  experienced.  That  discomforts 
have  been  encountered  is  very  true,  —  withering 
heat,  dust,  fatigue,  and  indifferent  food,  but  these 
quickly  fade  into  mere  shadows.  Not  the  pains, 
but  the  pleasures,  of  such  a  journey  remain  indel- 
ibly fixed  in  the  memory.  No  cunningly  painted 
canvas  is  so  retentive  as  the  active  brain.  While 
we  roll  over  the  broad  cactus  plains,  closing  the 
eyes  in  thought,  a  panorama  moves  before  us,  de- 
picting vivid  tableaux  from  our  two  months'  ex- 
perience in  Aztec  Land.  We  listen  in  imagina- 
tion at  the  sunset  hour  to  distant  vesper  bells, 
floating  softly  over  the  hills,  and  see  the  bowed 
heads  and  folded  hands  of  the  peons.  Once  more 
we  gaze  delighted  upon  lovely  valleys,  dark  shad- 
owy gorges,  far-reaching  plains  of  cacti  and  yucca 
palms,  bordered  by  lofty,  snow-tipped  mountains ; 
we  see  again  the  exuberant  fruitfulness  of  the 
tropics,  and  the  loveliness  of  the  floral  kingdom  in 
this  land  of  the  sun ;  once  more  we  stroll  through 
the  dimly  lighted  aisles  of  grand  cathedrals,  lis- 
tening to  the  solemn  chant  of  human  voices,  and  the 
organ's  deep  reverberating  tones  ;  or  view  again 
the  suggestive  ruins  of  a  vanished  race.  Groups 
of  the  native  population  in  many  colors,  long  lines 


JUAREZ.  353 

of  heavily  -  laden  burros,  clashing  caballeros  and 
lovely  senoritas,  pass  in  turn  before  the  mind's 
eye.  Now  a  grand  comprehensive  scene  comes 
before  us,  a  view  from  the  battlements  of  Chapul- 
tepec,  from  the  hill  of  Guadulupe,  or  the  Pyramid 
of  Cholula,  and,  above  all,  that  presented  from 
the  towers  of  the  superb  cathedral  of  Mexico. 
This  is  not  an  enchanting  dream,  but  the  exqui- 
site photography  of  memory,  a  store  of  glowing 
pictures  for  future  mental  enjoyment.  It  is  such 
experiences  and  memories  which  render  us  never 
less  alone  than  when  alone. 

Juarez  is  the  northern  end  of  the  great  railway 
line,  the  border  town  between  Mexico  and  the 
United  States,  where  we  cross  the  Rio  Grande  to 
enter  the  city  of  El  Paso,  Texas,  a  town  which 
promises  in  due  course  to  become  a  grand  com- 
mercial centre.  At  the  present  time  the  most 
remunerative  business  of  the  thrifty  but  ugly  look- 
ing place,  seems  to  be  that  of  smuggling,  which  is 
carried  on  with  a  large  degree  of  enterprise  by  the 
people  of  both  nationalities.  This  arises  from  the 
excessive  duties  put  on  both  the  necessities  and 
luxuries  of  life  by  the  Mexican  tariff.  Juarez  is 
an  old  settlement,  dating  from  1585,  and  is  situated 
three  thousand  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  sea. 
It  is  subject  to  great  extremes  of  heat  and  cold,  the 
thermometer  showing  105°  Fahr.  at  times  in  July, 
and  5°  below  zero  in  January.  Snow  falls  here 
occasionally  to  the  depth  of  two  feet,  while  the  Rio 
Grande  freezes  hard  enough  to  bear  heavily  laden 
mule  wagons.  It  is  difficult  for  the  place  to  cast 
off  its  former  name,  El  Paso  del  Norte  (Passage 


354  AZTEC  LAND. 

of  the  North),  so  called  because  of  the  ford  on 
the  river  and  the  pass  which  nature  here  con- 
structed between  the  mountains.  The  town  ex- 
tends along  the  west  bank  of  the  river  some  three 
miles,  and  back  from  it  about  one  mile.  The  Rio 
Grande  water  is  passable  for  drinking  purposes, 
and  good  for  general  use,  though  it  is  somewhat 
impregnated  with  alkali. 

Juarez  possesses  many  fine  old  trees  and  much 
attractive  verdure.  It  has  numerous  modern  and 
handsome  edifices,  and  the  place  is  sure  eventually 
to  be  a  large  distributing  railway  centre.  The 
Southern  Pacific  Company's  line,  the  Atchison, 
Topeka  and  Santa  Fe,  the  Mexican  Central,  and 
the  Texas  Pacific  railways  all  diverge  from  this 
point.  There  is  an  ancient  stone  church  here 
which  will  be  sure  to  interest  the  stranger,  dark 
and  gloomy  within,  but  full  of  votive  contribu- 
tions and  quaint  belongings,  recalling  the  chapel  of 
Notre  Dame  de  la  Garde  on  the  hill  which  over- 
looks Marseilles,  where  the  Mediterranean  seamen 
have  deposited  so  many  marine  toys,  images,  and 
curiosities. 

At  Juarez  the  narrow,  shallow  Rio  Grande, 
with  its  bare  quicksands,  was  once  more  crossed, 
and  the  Texas  city  of  El  Paso,  shadeless  and  ver- 
dureless,  was  reached.  Its  population  is  what 
would  be  expected  in  a  frontier  town  of  this 
region,  while  an  air  of  crudeness  permeates  every- 
thing. As  the  vestibule  train  which  had  been  our 
home  for  the  past  two  months  crossed  the  iron 
bridge,  and  as  we  came  once  more  on  to  the  soil  of 
our  own  country,  the  American  flag  on  the  custom- 


UNDER  THE  STARS  AND  STRIPES.       855 

house  station  was  clipped  three  times  in  acknow- 
ledgment of  our  hearty  cheers,  and  to  welcome 
the  party  on  its  successful  return  from  a  long, 
but  delightful  journey  through  the  states  of  the 
Mexican  republic. 


BOOKS  BY  MA  TURIN  M.  BALLOU. 


AZTEC   LAND.     A  New  Book.     Crown  8vo,  $1.50. 

This  fresh  book  of  travel,  while  extremely  interesting 
as  regards  the  present  aspect  of  Mexico,  also  tells  some 
homely  truths  about  the  exaggerations  of  the  Spanish 
chroniclers. 

THE  NEW  ELDORADO.  A  Summer  Journey  to  Alaska. 
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A  charming  book  of  travel,  full  of  information  concerning  our 
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Full  of  information  concerning  the  Bahama  Islands,  the  Car- 
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The  author  has  the  tact  to  travel  without  an  object  ;  he  strolls. 
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the  same  things,  under  the  same  circumstances.  He  never  lec- 
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UNDER  THE  SOUTHERN  CROSS;  or,  TRAVELS  ix 
AUSTRALASIA.    Crown  Svo,  $1.50. 

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profitably,  both  to  himself  and  the  public,  than  Mr.  Ballou.  — 
EDWIN  P.  WHIPPLE. 

[OVER.] 


EDITED  BY  MR.  BALLOU. 


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tributed to  it,  and  the  range  of  reading  necessary  to  its  compila- 
tion is  the  widest.  —  Plartford  Courant. 

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erary Mosaic.  Crown  Svo,  $1.50. 

Full  of  delicious  bits  from  nearly  every  writer  of  any  celebrity, 
English.  American,  French,  or  German,  early  and  modern,  it  is 
a  fascinating  medley.  When  one  takes  up  the  book  it  is  difficult 
to  lay  it  down,  for  one  is  led  on  from  one  brilliant  or  striking 
thought  to  another,  in  a  way  that  is  quite  absorbing.  —  Portland 
Transcript. 

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